


Unspoken Words

by Leebot



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-03-03 10:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 102,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2847716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leebot/pseuds/Leebot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Asami struggles to find the right words to describe her feelings for Korra, a strange encounter in the spirit world strips the ability to speak from her. What's causing her ailment, what can she and Korra do to fix it, and will she ever be able to confess her true feelings to her friend? - Updated biweekly on Tuesdays.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Happy canon-confirmation-that-Korrasami-was-intended everyone! Oh, and Christmas. That too.
> 
> Anyway, this fic is a direct follow up to my previous fic, "In Her Eyes." The first couple sections here are lifted straight from that, to help set the scene.
> 
> Many thanks to Raijin Tora for her help beta-reading this fic!

**Unspoken Words**

**Prologue**

* * *

 

_The Korra from a year ago would certainly be asking why right now, as I enter the new spirit portal with Asami. Why, when I’ve decided that now is the time to look to the future, do I find myself looking into her eyes? And why do I find her looking back into mine? But no, those aren’t the questions I should be asking. I smile at Asami, holding her hand in mine as we stand before the portal. What do I learn from this?_

_A warmth slowly fills my heart as the answer comes to me. A woman who sometimes seemed to know me better than I know myself. My closest friend. The only one I could trust when I was at my lowest. The one I wanted to spend time with when things settled down._

_From my subconscious actions as we approached the portal, my body had made it clear that it already knew the answer. My mind had only now caught up._

_It was simple. I saw my future in her eyes._

* * *

 

_As we prepared for our vacation in the spirit world, Korra told me that despite the current ruins of Republic City, she felt hopeful for the future of it. “I do too,” I said as we headed toward the spirit portal. “In fact, I think it’s the perfect time to start looking toward the future.”_

_It was as these words left my mouth that my hand reached out to take Korra’s. I may not have had the words for it at the time, but I knew. As we reached the portal, I turned to face her, and she to me. This was my future._

_Looking into Korra’s eyes, I was certain. This was where my story would truly begin._

* * *

 

A golden glow surrounded Asami and Korra as the spirit portal took them away from the ruins of Republic City. Asami knew she should probably be focusing on the world around them slowly fading into gold, or perhaps on the shifting sounds. She was the one who’d requested this specific journey, after all. But at this moment, the only part of the world she cared about was the one part that wasn’t fading away: the Avatar Korra.

Their eyes had met a few seconds ago, and their hands had joined a few seconds before that. Asami wasn’t quite sure who’d made the first move; both of those events had simply seemed to happen, as if it was only natural. No words had needed to be spoken between them.

Asami’s gaze never left Korra’s face, even as the background shifted from gold to green

and slowly began to take shape. How long had it been since she’d felt like this? It was over four years ago now, in the brief period when things were going well between her and Mako. Though even then, it wasn’t quite the same. Back then there had been that new relationship thrill, but it hadn’t been built on the foundation of a solid friendship like her relationship with Korra now.

Asami knew Korra far better now than she’d known Mako when they were dating. For that matter, she knew Korra better now than she knew Mako now. She’d seen Korra when she was broken down after her fight with Zaheer, and helped her through the slow, painful recovery. Korra in turn was the one Asami had turned to to help her handle the death of her father.

Already, their relationship was the most emotionally intimate one Asami had ever been in, and they hadn’t even spoken a word about its exact nature to each other. They’d have to do that sooner or later. The problem was: What were the right words? What could possibly encompass all that this relationship meant to Asami? She’d have to give it some time, and make sure her confession was just right. But until then, perhaps words weren’t necessary.

* * *

Korra could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Her heart rate had picked up as soon as she’d decided on the meaning of her shared gaze with Asami. It felt so… freeing. Freeing in that she’d finally admitted it to herself, but also in that the world had finally settled down to the point where she was actually free to think about relationships again without worrying about it getting in the way of her duties as the Avatar.

She was officially on vacation from her duties, and she was officially falling for Asami Sato. And maybe, just maybe, Asami was falling for her as well. Well, more than maybe. She’d turned to gaze at Korra at just the same time, and there was a definite affection there. Was it the same, though? Asami had made all the same motions Korra had, but did that necessarily mean she was in the same place?

Probably. Everything felt right about this. There was no reason to believe Asami was on a different page than Korra was, and plenty of reasons to believe she was thinking the same things. So Korra should simply blurt things out and get it over with. She should say something about this. Anything, really, before they were fully in the spirit world and the moment faded.

“Asami…” Korra said. Her heart beat seemed to double in pace as she began to speak. Her gaze dropped an inch, as she found herself not quite able to meet Asami’s eyes right now. She still hadn’t quite figured out what she was going to say, so she simply forced herself to get out something, anything. “I… I mean, you and I, we’re…? You know, um....”

“Korra,” Asami said. She gave Korra’s hand a brief squeeze within her own. Korra looked back up into Asami’s eyes, relaxing just a bit. “It’s all right. You don’t need to say anything right now.”

Korra nodded slowly. Right. Asami knew. Words weren’t necessary. They’d figure this out. Korra smiled at her… girlfriend? Date? Asami. She smiled at Asami, covering up her momentary uncertainty as she shifted to matters she knew much better. “Well, Asami, welcome to the spirit world.”

* * *

Sheng heard a sudden explosion of words from the new portal, and he sensed the presence of the Avatar along with it. He found himself envying humans, who could put their hands to their ears to block out unwanted sounds. In his case, this simply wasn’t an option. He could no more stop hearing than a human could stop breathing. It was his life, his nature, his essence. But right now it was ruining his tea.

“My apologies, young man,” Sheng said to the new spirit. “I will have to sample this tea of yours some other time. My duties require me now.” He pressed his cane into the ground, slowly raising himself from his seat.

“Hah, ‘young man’! Oh, I do like this place,” the young spirit said. He waved a hand at Sheng. “Of course, go if you have to. I hope you’ll come back soon, though. It’s not often I get to serve tea to one of the old spirits, after all.”

Sheng nodded his head at the young spirit. “I shall.” Sheng’s body unraveled, becoming one with the ground so that he might travel rapidly across the spirit world. He would have to have a word with this new Avatar about proper respect.


	2. Roots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years all! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. For future chapters, I'll be posting as part of a Tuesday Fanfic event for the TLA community on Reddit. I'll continue posting chapters here; this just means that it'll affect the timing. So, you can expect the next chapter of this fic to be posted on Tuesday January 13th, and one chapter a week after that until I'm finished. (Assuming I don't fall behind, which I certainly don't plan to.)
> 
> For this chapter, much thanks to RaijinTora for her comments and beta reading.

**Unspoken Words**

**Book One:**  Command

 **Chapter 1:** Roots

* * *

 

"Well, Asami, welcome to the spirit world," Korra said. She stepped back and turned away from Asami, holding her arm out and motioning to the area around them. Korra had previously described this part of the spirit world to her, and Asami had done as much research as she could on what was known about the spirit world, but nothing could truly prepare her for seeing it in person.

Asami and Korra stood on a stretch of what seemed like black sand, with a field of magenta flowers extending in front of them. Just behind them was the other side of the spirit portal, which from this side appeared as a golden-green rotating orb, with a golden helix extending from it into the sky. "It's… so beautiful…" Asami said softly.

That part, at least, wasn't too different from the human world. But the rest of this world was where it truly became alien. There were trees nearby, but without a single leaf among them. They appeared twisted, and a few grew at odd angles to the ground. They all seemed to reach roughly the same height, after which point their branches stretched out horizontally rather than dare climb any higher vertically. Far off were mountains, which at least appeared to be the right shape. At a quick glance, they were the right color for snow-covered peaks, but only on a quick glance. They were all a solid pale blue, making them look more like shards of ice growing in the distance.

But none of that was what struck Asami as the strangest aspect of this place. It took her a while to put her finger on just what was so off-putting here, but at last she was able to do so. "But, um… where are the spirits?" she said, turning to Korra. On the other side of the portal, the region had been filled with spirits, as if they'd gather to watch Korra and Asami depart. If anything, there should have been more of them here.

"Hmm…" Korra said. She closed her eyes and took a few slow breaths. After a minute, she opened her eyes and said, "They're far away, but I do sense them. I don't think this is a place spirits usually come. And to be honest, I'm not sure if it'll be that easy to get to the rest of the spirit world from here. Perhaps this portal isn't as convenient as it seemed..."

Asami reached out and placed her hand on Korra's shoulder. "We're on vacation," she said. "Perhaps you can worry later about the implications for the world of where this portal leads. For now, I think it's perfect. It means we have some time to ourselves. Just the two of us."

"Um, right…" Korra said. Her eyes shot briefly to the hand on her shoulder, and then back to meet Asami's gaze. Her cheeks seemed to slowly fill with a light blush. "Well, um, maybe I can explain what I think I know about this place then," she said.

Asami nodded slowly. She couldn't help but notice the effect she was having on Korra right now, but she held herself back from grinning too much in response. She did, however, wait just a second longer than strictly necessary before she removed her hand from Korra's shoulder.

Korra coughed and turned away. "Okay," she said. She took a step toward one of the nearby trees as she began to speak. "Here in the spirit world, between the portals that connect to the north and south poles, there's this tree, called the 'Tree of Time.' It looks a lot like one of these trees, except it's a fair bit bigger, and there's a big hole in the side. It's where Vaatu was imprisoned since the previous Harmonic Convergence.

"That's not why the tree is important, though," Korra said. She turned back to Asami, though she kept walking toward the tree. Picking up on the hint, Asami began to follow her toward it. "The tree's roots run through the spirit world, and connect it with our world as well. It's also connected to the energy of the universe, and it's been around at least since the time of the first Avatar, if not far longer."

Asami nodded. "We'll certainly have to pay a visit to that tree at some point then," she said. "But are you saying you think these trees are related to it somehow?"

Korra began to shake her head, but then she stopped herself. "Well, not 'related.' I think they are it. Parts of it, that is. My best guess is, these are its roots, coming out the other side of the spirit world. And if I'm right, we should be able to sense something from them."

"The other side? As in, we're upside-down right now?" Asami said, taking a glance upward. There wasn't any easy way to orient herself here, so Korra could certainly have been right. It wasn't as if Asami knew what the spirit world looked like the right way up, after all.

"Well, maybe," Korra said. "This might also be a completely new part of the spirit world, created from the energy of the Kuvira's weapon's blast. The spirit world doesn't really have the same shape as our world, and I don't think its shape even has to make sense to us. Ah, but here." Korra paused in her step as she reached the tree. "If I'm right, we should sense something from this tree."

Korra held out her hand, palm upward. Asami glanced between Korra and the tree, wondering just what Korra might expect her to sense. In the end though, she trusted Korra, and so she placed her hand in her friend's. Korra brought their hands forward, slowly bringing Asami's hand to touch the trunk of the tree.

* * *

"Father!" Asami called out as she ran into her father's office, barely able to contain her excitement. She placed the newspaper she was holding on his desk, and then a moment later remembered to turn it around so that he could read it. "The Pro-bending arena is finishing its renovations and hosting a new match next month! Can we please go?"

Hiroshi Sato smiled at his daughter as she ran up to him. He leaned forward and looked over the newspaper briefly, then let out a slight sigh. In her excitement at the time, Asami hadn't noticed the sigh, but as she relived the memory now, it was clear as day. He looked up at Asami and his expression immediately softened. "Asami," he said. "Why don't you have a seat? I've been wanting to talk to you about Pro-bending for a while now, and this seems like a good time."

"What? Oh, of course, Dad," Asami said. She pulled out the chair across from her father and had a seat in it.

Hiroshi nodded. He folded his hands on his desk as he spoke. "First of all, Asami, I'm curious: What is it about Pro-bending that excites you so much?"

Asami's eyes widened. Her father was actually taking an interest in pro-bending! When she'd run in, she'd just been hoping that he'd send one of the guards to take her to the match, but perhaps if she could get him interested, he'd go himself. "Oh, well there's so much action and excitement moment to moment," she began, "but that's just at the low levels. With the best teams, there's so much more involved. There's so much strategy - it's like a battle in miniature. It's so much fun to think about what the captains are going to try to do to outplay each other, or what I could do better in their place."

"'In their place...'" Hiroshi said. His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "You mean, as in guiding the team?"

"Right," Asami said with a nod and a grin.

Hiroshi nodded. He seemed almost relieved, though again, Asami hadn't noticed it at the time. "I imagine you would be quite good at that indeed, Asami. You have a sharp mind, and you never fail to make me proud." Hiroshi was silent for a moment, as if considering just what to say next. "That's not just the key to success in Pro-bending, but in the rest of life as well. Being able to bend elements may help one in a fight, but the smart can avoid a fight entirely, or fight it on their terms, with their weapons. Always remember that. And never feel that you should be jealous of a bender. They should be jealous of you. For you, Asami, are the one who truly has the power to change the world."

Asami blinked in confusion, wondering just how the conversion had gotten so heavy. "Um, thanks, Dad. I'll do my best," she said. "But, um, about the Pro-bending match? Would you maybe like to come with me?"

Something flashed in Hiroshi's eyes momentarily. Asami saw it at the time, but she had no idea what to make of it, and so she'd ignored it then. Now, though, she had a pretty good idea. Ever since firebenders had killed his wife, Hiroshi had held a deep grudge against all benders. He hadn't mentioned anything about it to Asami for a long while, but the signs were all there. She'd just never pieced the clues together, and he'd never come clean with her.

"I'm sorry, Asami," Hiroshi said. "I have an important meeting that day. You can go, though. And I do hope you enjoy it."

Asami nodded. "Thank you so much, Dad," she said, a grin spreading across her face. Her father was interested in Pro-bending, and she was going to one of the biggest matches of the year. This was certainly a good day, even if her father wasn't free to watch the match with her. There would be another chance.

* * *

Asami wasn't quite sure how much time had passed - whether she'd remembered that all in an instant, experienced it in real time, or somewhere in between. Whatever the case, she was back in the spirit world now, with her palm touching the tree and Korra's hand on her wrist. Her memories of that encounter with her father were as fresh as if they'd happened moments ago. Asami withdrew her hand from the tree, trying to figure out which part of this to process first.

"Um…" Korra said, just as Asami had begun to pull back. She appeared a bit uncomfortable for a moment, but she did eventually continue, "I should probably tell you… I saw that too. With your father and his anti-bender lecture…"

Asami's eyes widened. That certainly settled the question of which part of this to handle first. "Korra, I don't…" Asami trailed off. After the way she'd turned against her father four years ago, it really went without words that she didn't agree with his beliefs. There was no need to defend herself here. Asami let out a brief chuckle. "I suppose I don't need to finish that sentence, do I? You were just letting me know you saw it as well."

Korra nodded. "Yeah. And well… Seeing your father, I thought it might be… you know. I'm here for you, if you need me," she said. She'd turned her head downward as she began to speak, but she looked up at Asami as she finished.

Smiling at Korra, Asami reached out to take her friend's hand in hers. "Let's talk," she said.

* * *

Korra followed Asami to a nearby slope, then sat down beside her her friend. Asami was silent for a minute, and she never quite turned to face Korra, but Korra didn't push her. She'd never gone through anything quite like this herself, so she really didn't know exactly what stage of recovery Asami would be at now, or how that memory would have affected her. All she could think of to do was listen and try to be supportive for her friend.

It took a bit, but eventually Asami began, "My father… As much as I want to, I can't call him a good man. Maybe in the end, his sacrifice helped atone for his support of the Equalists, but I can't say it outweighed it. On the other hand, I also wouldn't say he was a bad man. Behind all the unforgivable actions of the Equalists were some real complaints. Firebenders did kill his wife - my mother. Republic City was indeed controlled by benders from foreign nations, with locals - especially local non-benders - having little say in its government. And my father had met a number of people in his life who looked down on him for being a non-bender, treating him as lesser than them, or even pitying him for it."

Korra found herself shifting position uncomfortably as she'd heard this. She'd said some pretty stupid things to non-benders when she'd first arrived in Republic City, but she'd since gotten a much better sense of what it was like to be on the other side of power. In his own twisted way, Amon had managed to do that to her by taking away her bending abilities, and then Unalaq again by breaking her connection with past Avatars, and Zaheer through crippling her with the Red Lotus' poison. She didn't need Tenzin to tell her that the universe was serving her up a message on a silver platter. Anymore, at least.

"...Korra?" Asami said, breaking Korra out of her thoughts.

Korra blinked, looking up and over at Asami. "Yeah? Oh, sorry. I was listening, I just… kinda realized I… may not have been the best at that kind of thing in the past." Korra reached a hand around to scratch the back of her neck nervously. "I really… never thought about what it would be like to be without bending. Until well… you know."

"It's alright," Asami said. She gave Korra a soft smile, and reached out to place a hand on Korra's knee. "I know how much you've changed. It's one of the things that impresses me most about you."

Korra gave a weak smile in response to this. "Um, thanks," she said. "So, um, do you think that was what the tree was trying to tell us by showing us that memory?"

Asami leaned back, returning her hand to the ground and looking upward for a moment. "Maybe. It might be more to do with me and my father. What I was going to say was, although I don't think my father was a good man, he was definitely a good father. What you saw there, that's about as much as my father ever tried to sway me against benders, until I discovered his Equalist ties. If you take away some of his bias, and change his words just slightly, his advice is pretty much perfect."

"Really?" Korra said, going back over what she remembered of his words. She'd been a bit thrown off by the anti-bender sentiment at the end, but perhaps Asami was right.

Asami nodded. She shifted her position, turning to face Korra as a grin spread across her face. "What my father never knew was, when I was around that age and obsessing over Pro-bending, I'd occasionally wonder what if I'd turned out to be a bender, and could play myself. And while it was a fun fantasy, back in the real world, I realized that I'd never be able to put in the practice to be halfway decent at bending while also keeping up with my studies, my training, and everything else I wanted to do. What good was bending ability if I'd never be able to use it? I already agreed with my father - I'd much rather make use of my mind than bending, even if it bending were an option for me. But since I was already thinking of that, when my father said that to me, all I heard was him reinforcing that I was on the right track, and his anti-bender sentiments missed me entirely."

Korra couldn't help it. Asami's smile was infectious right now, and she had to return it. "So, I guess it would be a waste of my time to offer to make you a bender?" she said, not really thinking of the words as they passed through her lips.

Asami blinked. "You can do that?" she said, her eyes widening.

A moment of panic hit Korra. The world had known that she could restore bending that had been taken away through the energybending techniques Avatar Aang had taught her, but she hadn't revealed this part of the equation since she'd realized it herself. It had taken some time for her to piece it together after her vision of lion turtles using energybending to grant bending to Avatar Wan and his comrades before she realized it was basically the same as the restoration she already knew how to do, and she hadn't ever tried to put it into practice. She was worried about how this revelation might affect the world if people learned about it, and so she hadn't even mentioned the possibility to anyone. Until now, that was.

"Well, um, maybe," Korra said. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked into Asami's eyes. What was it about this woman that made her so loose-lipped? It was too late now, though. At least she knew she could trust Asami. "I've never actually done it," she said, "but it's in principle the same as how I restored Beifong's bending after Amon took it away. Just… maybe a bit more difficult, since it would involve bending someone's spirit in a new direction, not just bending it back to where it used to be."

Asami was silent for just a second. "You're right," she said. She shifted back to how she'd been sitting before, looking back up at the sky. "It would be a waste of time to offer."

Korra let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She looked over at Asami, taking the time to try to gauge her friend's mood. Something still felt off. Asami didn't look like she was put off, but there was something bothering Korra. Was it something in the conversation earlier?

Korra turned away, running through Asami's memory and her later words, trying to figure out just what it was that was bugging her.

" _...And never feel that you should be jealous of a bender. They should be jealous of you. For you, Asami, are the one who truly has the power to change the world."_

" _...And my father had met a number of people in his life who looked down on him for being a non-bender, treating him as lesser than them, or even pitying him for it."_

"A waste of time…" Korra repeated. "And possibly… even offensive?" she said cautiously, trying to get into Asami's mind. Asami wasn't her father, but it was possible she'd felt some of the same treatment from benders. She'd certainly noticed it, to be able to lay it out like that. And her pride was centered on her mind, and her achievements in technology and her business. Suggesting she might be better off with bending… Maybe it wouldn't be so offensive to Asami, but for someone like her father, it certainly would have been.

Asami looked over at Korra, and her lips spread into a small grin. "Not in my case. But it very well could be offensive to some people. Though not so many these days, I suspect. Things are a lot less tense between benders and non-benders than they used to be, but there are still some people who bear open wounds."

"Right," Korra said. "That's kinda what I figured." After a moment of silence, she shifted her position, moving up so she was sitting closer to Asami, and she placed her hand on her friend's.

She should probably say something more. It was maybe a good time to change the subject, or perhaps get back to talking about Asami's father… but it wasn't Korra's place to bring that subject up. She'd have to leave it to Asami. Korra peered up at her friend's face, trying to get some insight into what Asami might be thinking about right now.

* * *

Korra was certainly something. Asami couldn't help but be impressed by her friend's insight. It was really no wonder Asami felt herself drawn to Korra like this. It was a bit more of a wonder that Korra seemed to feel the same way, but there didn't seem to be much doubting that. As Korra placed her hand on Asami's, Asami found her gaze slowly climbing up Korra's arm, daring a few moments to linger on Korra's delightful muscle tone, and then up toward Korra's face.

As if she felt Asami's gaze on her, Korra looked upward. She blinked a couple times, almost shyly. "Um… Asami?" she said. "...What are you thinking about?"

Asami let out a brief chuckle and turned away, hoping she hadn't been too blatant just then. Perhaps it was a good time to confess her feelings to Korra, though she hadn't yet had a chance to think about what the right words would be. No, it could wait until she'd figured that part out. She wasn't going to lie to Korra, though. Just leave a couple fine details unspoken.

"Well," Asami said, turning back to Korra. "Let's just say I was thinking about how amazing you are. I think I understand now how you were able to get Kuvira to stand down."

Korra smiled a bit at this, her face showing embarrassment at the compliment. "Well, it kind of goes with being…" Korra trailed off, her eyes focusing on something behind Asami.

Asami looked over her shoulder just in time to see what looked like a creature made of thick black wires assemble itself from the ground behind her. It was about half her height, with a roughly human-like shape, with a long torso, short legs, a short left arm, and a long right arm which came down to touch the ground. Over its "head," four wires stretched out to either side in a facsimile of hair. As Asami watched, a large mouth grew out from its "head." The mouth grew to about a foot across, and began speaking.

"Greetings, Avatar and Companion-whose-relationship-to-the-Avatar-is-not-clear," the creature said. Its voice was crisp and somewhat high-pitched. It reminded Asami of an old man who was inordinately proud of how well he could speak. "You are cordially invited to visit Master Sheng. He awaits your presence at his abode in Zhi-Wen Valley. Should you be unable to attend, you are politely requested to become able to attend, and then to attend. Thank you."

The creature tapped its right arm on the ground twice, and then seemed to be pulled into the spot on the ground its arm had touched. The wires that made up its body twisted as they spun about the arm, winding into the ground until they had all vanished from sight. At last, the mouth, now floating in mid-air, shrunk to a point and vanished.

Asami blinked. "That was… weird," she said, still staring at the spot where the creature had been.

"Even for this place," Korra said. "Though not by much."


	3. Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! After this bit of a wait, I'll now be updating this fic regularly every Tuesday.
> 
> I'm also now on tumblr, where you'll be able to find some of my behind-the-scenes thoughts going into my fics. Look for me there as "drleebot."

**Unspoken Words**

**Book One:**  Command

 **Chapter 2:** Distraction

* * *

 

“Was that a spirit?” Asami said, turning back to Korra. Her friend seemed almost as bewildered by this experience as Asami was. Although Asami had seen plenty of spirits before, she’d never been able to pick up on any rhyme or reason to their appearances. This certainly made it hard to say that something couldn’t be a spirit. Something had felt lacking in this creature though.

“Umm… I think. Kind of,” Korra said. Her eyes were still focused on where the creature had been, and it took her a minute before she looked over at Asami. “It was caused by a spirit, at least. This ‘Sheng’. Master Sheng.” Korra’s eyes darted to each side. Asami followed her gaze, but she didn’t spot anything unusual. Or at least, more unusual than was usual here. “We should be polite. Just in case.”

Asami had gotten the full briefing on dangerous spirits from Korra before they’d entered the spirit world, which had basically boiled down to: If it looked dangerous, it was probably dangerous. If it had a unique name, there were probably unique rules. Since Raava had won in the last Harmonic Convergence, things were mostly peaceful in the spirit world and most spirits were showing their good sides. Only some ancient spirits, as powerful as Raava or more so, were immune to this effect.

“Is Master Sheng one of these ancient spirits you mentioned to me?” Asami asked.

“That’s my guess,” Korra said, nodding at Asami. After a moment, she let out a breath and seemed to relax a bit. “I still don’t feel any spirits around us, and I didn’t while that… thing was here. So I’m guessing he’s something old with a long reach. Probably not one of the more dangerous ones, or I’m sure I’d have heard of him by now. It wouldn’t be a good idea to ignore his invitation though.”

Asami gave a slight shrug. “It should be interesting. I wanted to experience the spirit world, after all. Maybe I should consider myself lucky to get to meet a spirit like him. Maybe I can even get him to think of me as something other than the ‘companion to the Avatar,’ or whatever his exact words were.”

Korra let out a laugh at this. “Yeah. I really don’t think that title will catch on for you. We’ll need something better.” Korra’s eyes narrowed, and Asami caught a slight spark within them. “The Avatar’s Right Hand, perhaps?” she said, her eyebrow rising as she spoke.

Asami’s eyes narrowed. Korra couldn’t possibly think that would do. “Perhaps not,” she said. As she tried to find the right words to say next, the moment passed her by, and Korra let out a scoff.

“Fine, you win,” Korra said. “I can be your right hand if you want.”

This got Asami to grin. “Thank you, but I have a much more interesting role in mind for you,” she said, giving Korra a quick wink. “How about…” The words were coming so easily to Asami right now that she wasn’t even thinking as they came out, until she got to this particular part. But then her heart seemed to leap up into her throat, preventing any further words from coming out.

After a few moments, Asami felt Korra’s hand on her own. She looked up and met her friend’s gaze, and the soft affection she sensed there seemed to cause her heart to melt into her chest. “How about we figure that out one moment at a time?” Korra said, giving Asami’s hand a soft squeeze.

* * *

Asami’s sudden silence had caught Korra off-guard, but she wasn’t going to let it show. She couldn’t remember the last time Asami had been at a loss for words. It was actually flattering, in a way. At least, that was the way Korra had decided to interpret it. Besides, the expression on Asami’s face just now was beautiful beyond words. Korra would have easily felt the same way if she’d been asked to explain her own feelings for Asami at the moment.

After a minute, Korra held Asami’s hand in hers and stood up. “Come,” she said. “I saw one of your memories. It’s only fair that you see one of mine.”

Asami’s eyes widened, almost imperceptibly, but she did stand up. “That’s alright, Korra, you don’t have to show me anything,” she said. Korra began walking back toward the tree as Asami spoke, and despite her words, her friend didn’t actually put up any resistance to following her. “Do you even know if it will work again?”

“Nope,” Korra said. Without a further thought, she stopped at the base of the tree and held their hands up toward the trunk. She paused before touching the tree, looking over at Asami. After a moment, Asami let out a sigh and moved to wrap her hand around Korra’s wrist, just as Korra had held hers previously. With a smile, Korra touched her hand to the tree.

* * *

It had felt like a lifetime since she’d last seen Mako, which was probably quite an apt way to put it. After being attacked by a dark spirit, being brought back from the brink of death without any memories, and then slowly regaining them as she learned the history of Avatar Wan, Korra truly did feel like she’d been through a lifetime. But now at least, she once more knew who she was, and it was all she could do to hold herself back as Mako accepted Lin Beifong’s implicit apology.

And then, for just a moment, his gaze crossed hers, and she couldn’t wait any longer. Korra dashed ahead, wrapping her arms around Mako. She spent a precious moment feeling his presence before she pulled back, adjusting her head so she could steal a brief kiss from his lips. In the moment, she wasn’t particularly in tune with Mako’s state of mind, and so she’d completely missed how tense he was during the kiss.

Korra pulled back, and she looked into Mako’s eyes as she said, “Mako, I missed you so much.” The room was silent for a minute. Korra only had eyes for Mako though, and he simply seemed confused right now.

“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” Bolin said from beside Mako, finally breaking the silence. He held out an arm toward Korra. “Korra’s back!” Well, that certainly explained Mako’s confusion then. He was still catching up with things after getting out of his cell.

Mako seemed to relax, just a little. “Korra... hey, I missed you, too. So, you're not still mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad?” Korra replied.

“We had that fight before you left… remember?” Mako said.

“No, not really,” Korra said. Searching her memory, she could remember leaving, but not any of the specifics surrounding it. “I got attacked by a dark spirit and I lost my memory for a little while. Maybe it hasn't all come back yet. Was it a bad fight?”

Mako seemed to tense up as he considered this. “Umm… uh… no, no. It wasn’t that bad,” he said. His eyes weren’t meeting Korra’s as he said this, switching between looking up, looking just below her eyes, and looking off to Korra’s right. Even then, Korra wasn’t entirely buying it.

* * *

Korra’s eyes widened as the memory faded. There was a particular reason Mako had kept glancing to the right as he lied about his and Korra’s fight: That was where Asami was standing. She’d been watching and listening the whole time, as Korra unknowingly stole Mako away from her, and Mako lied his way back into a relationship with Korra. And right now, Asami had just been forced to go through it all again.

Korra  quickly looked over at Asami. “Asami, I’m sorry. I figured it would be with my parents or something, not like…”

Asami quickly shook her head. “No, it’s fine,” she said. “That’s not your fault. You did nothing wrong, now or then.” Asami gave Korra a smile, but it was quite obviously forced.

As Korra saw it, there were plenty of reasons for Asami to be unsettled right now, but certainly no reasons she should be smiling. Korra adjusted her hand so she could take Asami’s hand in hers once more, and she gave it a squeeze. Now, she just had to figure out which part of this was bothering Asami more - was it experiencing that kiss with Mako through Korra’s perspective, or was it the fact that she had to re-experience Mako’s betrayal of her?

Her instincts told her it was the latter. That would certainly have hit Korra harder. Korra pulled her arm back from the tree, and she moved her other hand in so that she could hold Asami’s hand in both of hers. “I blame Mako, personally,” she said, smiling a bit as she tried to lighten the mood. “You with me on that?”

Asami let out a light chuckle, and her smile seemed to get just a bit more genuine. “Thanks, Korra,” she said. She slowly shook her head, and her gaze fell downward. “But I really should have known better than to get involved with Mako at that time. It was my own fault I ended up getting hurt then.”

“What? No,” Korra said. “Even if you forget about his relationship with you right then, Mako screwed up. He should have told me about our break-up. Not that I’m still mad at him about it, but there’s no way you were the one most at fault there.”

Asami was silent for a long minute, but she did seem to be relaxing. Her eyes finally rose up to meet Korra’s, and she said, “You’re right.”

There still seemed to be some reservation in Asami’s voice, but it was probably about as much good as Korra was going to be able to do for now. Korra smiled at her friend, hoping her smile could be a bit infectious and help a little more. “Alright, let’s get away from this tree,” she said. “I think we’ve had enough of old memories for one day.”

* * *

There were many things that impressed Asami about Korra, but right now her ability to ease Asami’s mind in a matter of minutes was chief among them. It started with just a few reassuring words, but then Korra quite literally pulled Asami away from the source of her present worries. “Um, Korra?” Asami said as her friend led her by the hand away from the tree and toward the nearby range of blue-white mountains. “Where are we going?”

“Exploring,” Korra said simply. She glanced back at Asami, an excited grin having spread across her face. “I want to see what’s on the other side of these mountains. And perhaps we can find a good place to set up camp for the night.”

Asami couldn’t help but smile back at Korra, though she did find herself struggling a bit to keep up with her friend’s pace. “Sounds good to me. You can let go of my hand now, you know.”

“I know,” Korra said, though her hand remained firmly latched onto Asami’s. She did thankfully slow down just a bit so that she wasn’t so much dragging Asami toward the mountains as leading her there.

Asami nearly rolled her eyes at this. Then she nearly sighed. In the end, she smiled. If Korra was that attached to her hand, she wasn’t going to complain. She might look for a way to take advantage of it, though.

The question was, just what to do to take such advantage? Well, it helped keep Korra close to her. That was a given. It also gave Asami a perfect excuse to steal glances at Korra’s hand and arm. As she found herself doing this, Asami made a mental note to see about giving Korra’s hand some closer attention once they’d set up camp for the night. Something told her that Korra’s bending practice would have made her quite in tune with her hands, and so there might be a certain interesting sensitivity there to the right sort of touch.

As it turned out, Asami couldn’t quite wait until they’d found a campsite, or even until they’d reached the mountains. Once she was able to get her grip just right, she found her thumb idly circling around the back of Korra’s hand. Asami did spot one curious glance from Korra, though as it was paired with a slight smile, it certainly did nothing to get her to stop.

What did get her to stop was when her boot came into sudden contact with a rock sticking out of the ground, which she’d managed to completely miss while she was focusing on Korra’s hand. In a moment, her mind shifted into combat mode, ready to save herself from an embarrassing fall. She took in her current position, Korra’s position, and what she could tell of the terrain beneath her feet, and determined exactly what she needed to do to keep from falling.

Then she ignored that plan and let herself fall anyway. Her plan would have involved an uncomfortable and possibly overbalancing tug on Korra’s arm, and so she’d discarded it almost as soon as she’d come up with it. Korra could probably have handled it, but it was too late for that now. Asami’s shin came down on the rock she’d tripped on, the edge of it cutting into her flesh and sending a flash of pain through Asami’s leg.

“Asami?” Korra said. In the edge of her vision, Asami caught sight of Korra spinning in place. Before Asami was even able to bring her hand to the ground to catch herself, Korra had managed to airbend a gust of wind to cushion Asami’s fall.

Mentally cursing herself for her earlier idiocy - of course Korra would have been able to handle a simple tug on her arm - Asami placed her hand against the ground so she could support herself. “I’m… alright,” she said. She began pushing herself back to her feet as she said, “Thank you, Kor-” Asami winced slightly as she put weight on her injured leg. It wasn’t too bad right now, but it certainly was painful. “-ra,” she finished.

“Sit down,” Korra said. “Let me handle this.”

Letting out a soft sigh and smiling softly, Asami acquiesced and sat down, making sure she found a safer spot than where she’d just stumbled. There was no point trying to act strong right now, particularly around Korra. Asami was about to pull up her pant leg herself to inspect the injury, but Korra ended up taking over.

Korra sat down cross-legged in front of Asami, and she brought Asami’s foot up onto her lap. Korra unbuckled Asami’s boot and pulled it off. Asami almost began to speak, to let Korra know the injury was closer to her knee and that was unnecessary, but she found herself biting her tongue when she felt Korra’s fingers trailing along her ankle as her boot came off. It would make it a little bit easier to pull up her pant leg, after all.

A moment later, Korra pushed up Asami’s pant leg, and there was a brief flash of concern on her face. It quickly faded though. “Ah, this isn’t bad,” she said. “A bit of a cut and bruise, but I don’t think the bone’s damaged.” Holding the pant leg up with one hand, Korra pulled out her canteen and bent some water onto the wound. Asami soon felt a soothing warmth where she’d been injured, and she let out a soft hum.

“Mm, thank you, Korra,” Asami said, smiling at her friend. As Korra put her canteen away, Asami pulled her pant leg back down and replaced her boot. As she looked back up, she found her gaze suddenly meeting Korra’s. Her friend’s soft gaze caused Asami’s heartbeat to pick up. The moment seemed to linger, and Asami felt herself being pulled toward Korra’s face. This was a perfect opportunity.

Asami began to lean forward, her eyes focused on Korra’s lips. She watched for any sign of hesitance or nervousness, but she saw none. She even saw Korra tilt her head just slightly so their noses wouldn’t bump together. It should have been easy. It should have been perfect. She’d made moves in the past with far less of an invitation.

Just as Asami felt like she’d gotten up the courage to make a move, her mind flashed back to the first time she’d kissed Mako, and then how she’d gotten her heart broken. And then it flashed to the second time she’d made a move on Mako, and how she’d once more gotten her heart broken, this time with the image fresh in mind from seeing Korra’s memory earlier.

“...Asami?” she heard Korra say.

Asami blinked, refocusing on her friend. “Ah, um… I’m sorry,” she met Korra’s gaze. Her mind went into a brief panic, worried about ruining this in some way. She couldn’t let Korra think she wasn’t interested. She had to… Well, she had to tell the truth. With a resigned expression, Asami said, “I just flashed to that memory from earlier. I suppose it threw me off.”

Korra’s eyes widened just a bit. She gave a sympathetic - and perhaps slightly disappointed - smile as she leaned back. “Right. That. Yeah. Not a good reminder right now. Alright,” she said. She pushed herself back up to her feet, then reached a hand down toward Asami. “Let’s see what we can do to put some better thoughts in your mind. I definitely don’t want you thinking of Mako the whole time we’re here.”

“Good idea,” Asami said as she took Korra’s hand. “The sooner the better.” After missing that opportunity, she wasn’t planning to let another pass her by. She just had to make sure she was thinking only of Korra during their first kiss.

As they resumed their hike into the mountains, Korra began talking with Asami of her previous trips to the spirit world. Asami listened intently, trying to picture some of the spirits Korra was describing. Chances were though, she was completely off in her mental images of them. She’d really have to see them herself while she was here.

“Huh…” Korra said as they turned down a path into the mountains. There were plenty more up ahead, with no end in sight. “It looks like we might have a bit of a walk in front of us if we want to get anywhere new.”

Asami nodded. “It’s getting darker, as well. Perhaps it’s time to set up camp for the night.”

“I think it’s just because we’re in the mountain’s shadow here,” Korra said. “The spirit world doesn’t seem to have a normal day and night cycle.” Korra continued walking down the path, and a yawn soon overtook her. “Er… I guess it is pretty late for us, though.”

Asami chuckled at this display from Korra. That was true. They’d left in the middle of the night, so they were already pushing into the early hours of the morning by now. “I think I see a good spot up ahead for camp,” she said, pointing to a relatively flat patch of ground a ways up the trail. “How about we settle in there?”

“Yeah… I guess,” Korra said, glancing quickly at Asami. “Actually…” Korra paused in her step, looking over at the mountain to their side.

“Unless you plan to bring in some of the soil,” Asami said, catching on to what Korra was planning, “I don’t think an earthbent cave will be quite as comfortable as that clearing. And I think that clearing’s the nearest place to get any soil in any case.”

“Oh. Right,” Korra said, her shoulders dropping an inch. She stared at the mountain a moment longer, then let out a grunt. “Tch, how is it even the Avatar can’t bend a decent bed?”

“Yes. Bedbending is certainly the Avatar’s biggest weakness,” Asami said with a smirk. “We just have to hope you never have to face off against a gang of criminals who only need a good night’s sleep. Who knows what you’d do then.”

Korra rolled her eyes and let out a brief chuckle. She followed Asami toward the clearing, where Asami took off her pack and began to set things up for them. She didn’t bother with a tent tonight, instead simply unrolling the sleeping bags they’d brought along while Korra inflated their pillows with her airbending. In a matter of minutes, they were set up.

As soon as her sleeping bag was ready, Korra practically collapsed into it, not even bothering to change into some more comfortable clothes first. She rolled over onto her back and said, “What are you waiting for?” as she patted the bag beside her. With a chuckle, Asami knelt down and joined her friend. She didn’t quite make it into her sleeping bag, though. Instead, she simply entwined her hand with Korra’s and lay next to her friend. Gazing at Korra’s face, Asami smiled as she let herself drift off into sleep.

* * *

The flurry of words finally seemed to abate, at last allowing Sheng a chance to relax and focus on his preparations for the Avatar’s visit. At the rate the Avatar and her companion were making progress, it would still be quite some time before they arrived. Perhaps he could find a way to help make their passage easier. They did seem to be taking the long way around. Perhaps there was something about the soil near them that they didn’t like traveling through? Well, that was easy enough to solve. If they preferred air, Sheng knew some spirits who could help.

Some time later, the words resumed, but with a much more pleasant aura to them this time. What was the word humans used for this…? Ah yes, “dreams.” This was a much more pleasant background sound. It had been quite some time since he’d last heard dreamed words like this. Sheng found himself tempted to listen in to the actual content of the words. Perhaps now that he could stand to do so, he could gain insight into what was causing such strife while the humans were awake.

But he couldn’t. It wasn’t proper to listen in on one’s neighbors, no matter how noisy they were being, or how much that noise was interrupting Sheng’s routine. There were other options, though.

* * *

 Korra awoke to a pleasant warmth enveloping her. At some point during the night, it seemed that Asami had wrapped her arms around her. Well, this was certainly a nice way to wake up. Humming, Korra let a small grin cross her face. Judging by her breathing, Asami was already awake, but she hadn’t moved away yet. Perhaps it was time to have some fun.

“Mm… that’s nice…” Korra muttered softly, as if she were speaking in her sleep. She felt Asami move slightly, but she heard nothing from her friend just yet. After a moment, she continued, “I know… c’mon, Naga…” Korra counted out the seconds in her head. Five seconds, just long enough that Asami wouldn’t cut in, but long enough for her to process it, and then Korra finished, “Later, Naga… with Asami now. Asami first, then you…”

Korra felt a brief motion from Asami’s chest as her friend let out a light chuckle, and then she felt her shoulder being slapped playfully. Okay, the jig was up.

Chuckling a bit, Korra pulled back and turned her head upward. She blinked her eyes open sleepily, focusing on Asami’s face. “Oh, morning Asami,” Korra said, as if she were just waking up right now. “Sleep well?”

Asami gave Korra a look that made it clear she wasn’t buying it. “                      ,” Asami said. Korra blinked, adjusting her head. She must have missed that. “                                        …” Asami’s eyes widened. “         !” she tried to say. Her lips were mouthing words, but Korra couldn’t hear anything, and apparently she wasn’t the only one.

“...Asami?” Korra said, her eyes widening. Her heart rate picked up as her mind ran through every spirit she knew of, trying to think of one who could have done this. She couldn’t think of any, but maybe there was one she didn’t know enough about. There had to be a way out of this. There was no way this could be happening, or at least no way it could be permanent.  “Okay okay, I’m sorry about my joke,” Korra said, hoping against hope it was just a trick. “You fooled me, okay? You can start talking again…. please?”

Asami’s eyes gave the truth away. She slowly shook her head. This was real. But Korra wasn’t going to let it be permanent, whatever it took.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any and all comments are deeply appreciated. It really helps me to hear back from readers, and know I'm connecting with people.


	4. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What exactly happened to Asami? Has she missed her chance to speak up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who missed it, you can now follow me on tumblr as well. Look for me as "drleebot" over there. I just might be making a post about this story sometime soon. ;)

**Unspoken Words**

**Book One:**  Command

 **Chapter 3:** Reflection

* * *

 

"Um, thanks, Dad. I'll do my best," Asami said. She was back in her father's office now, though the room wasn't quite as clear as before. Once more, she felt a bit disconnected from herself as she spoke, watching it occur more than experiencing it. "But, um, about the Pro-bending match? Would you maybe like to come with me?"

Something flashed in Hiroshi's eyes momentarily. Asami caught it, but she wasn't sure what to make of it... until her father let out a heavy sigh and began speaking. "I suppose now is as good of a time as any to tell you, Asami," he said, catching Asami off-guard. That wasn't supposed to happen. "The truth is, ever since your mother was killed by benders, I haven't been able to forgive them. Pro-bending is simply not something I would enjoy."

Asami blinked. Her father's statement had caught her completely off-guard. It felt like a sudden weight had attached itself to her chest as she processed his words, realizing this new side to the man. She tried to process this, but she simply couldn't wrap her mind around this way of thinking. After nearly a minute of silence, she said, "So, because some benders killed Mom, you hate them all? I mean, they were also all men who broke in that night, so are you going to hate all men? They were all firebenders, so are you going to hate all descendants of the Fire Nation?"

Hiroshi shook his head, a scowl crossing his features. "Of course not, Asami. This is different."

"Why?" Asami said, narrowing her eyes. She could feel anger beginning to build in her now. She wasn't sure if it was simply because her father was against Pro-bending, or if it was something else. "Because you're a man, so you can't hate men? We're both from the Fire Nation, so that's out? You could have just hated gang members, you know. Or maybe just the people who did it! Of all the benders in the world, less than a dozen had anything to do with Mom's death. Hate them with all your heart, just like I do, but let it end there!"

"Enough!" Hiroshi said, his face tightening. "I understand you're upset, Asami, but I will not have you speaking to me like this. Leave my office. The next time you enter, I expect you to have learned the proper respect, understood?"

Asami glared at her father. "...Understood," she said. She spun on her foot and marched out of his office. This wasn't over.

* * *

"We had that fight before you left… remember?" Mako said. He was steadfastly avoiding Asami's gaze right now, which wasn't a good sign. Asami had already begun her mental countdown for how long Mako had to straighten this out, and he was quickly running out of time.

"No, not really," Korra said. "I got attacked by a dark spirit and I lost my memory for a little while. Maybe it hasn't all come back yet. Was it a bad fight?" Well, that at least explained Korra's actions. It didn't make seeing the kiss hurt any less, though.

Mako seemed to tense up as he considered this. "Umm… well… yeah…." Mako let out a sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them up, he glanced quickly at Asami, then back to Korra. "You broke up with me, Korra. I'm with Asami now. We'll talk in private, okay?"

Asami's eyes widened. She couldn't believe Mako had actually said that. She'd already been steeling herself for another round of heartbreak at his hands. Had Mako… actually handled something right when it came to his feelings for her and Korra? It was almost unbelievable. Perhaps impossible.

* * *

Asami gave a slight shrug. "It should be interesting. I wanted to experience the spirit world, after all. Maybe I should consider myself lucky to get to meet a spirit like him. Maybe I can even get him to think of me as something other than the 'companion to the Avatar,' or whatever his exact words were."

Korra let out a laugh at this. "Yeah. I really don't think that title will catch on for you. We'll need something better." Korra's eyes narrowed, and Asami caught a slight spark within them. "The Avatar's Right Hand, perhaps?" she said, her eyebrow rising as she spoke.

Asami's eyes narrowed. Korra couldn't possibly think that would do. "Perhaps not," she said. As she tried to find the right words to say next, the moment passed her by, and Korra let out a scoff.

"Fine, you win," Korra said. "I can be your right hand if you want."

This got Asami to grin. "Thank you, but I have a much more interesting role in mind for you," she said, giving Korra a quick wink. "How about… 'partner,'" Asami said. It might not have been the perfect word - it certainly couldn't describe all that Korra was to her - but it was good enough for a start. "With the specifics of that partnership to be renegotiated on an ongoing basis. But for now, as we'd say in Future Industries if we handled this type of thing, I'd call it an 'entry-level romantic partnership.' Sound good?" The words came out easily now. Almost too easily.

Korra's eyes were glued to Asami as the latter woman spoke. Eventually, Korra let out a laugh she'd been suppressing. Her face lit up, giving Asami a grin that could have brightened her darkest day. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

A moment later, Korra pushed up Asami's pant leg, and there was a brief flash of concern on her face. It quickly faded though. "Ah, this isn't bad," she said. "A bit of a cut and bruise, but I don't think the bone's damaged." Holding the pant leg up with one hand, Korra pulled out her canteen and bent some water onto the wound. Asami soon felt a soothing warmth where she'd been injured, and she let out a soft hum.

"Mm, thank you, Korra," Asami said, smiling at her friend. As Korra put her canteen away, Asami pulled her pant leg back down and replaced her boot. As she looked back up, she found her gaze suddenly meeting Korra's. Her friend's soft gaze caused Asami's heartbeat to pick up. The moment seemed to linger, and Asami felt herself being pulled toward Korra's face. This was a perfect opportunity.

Asami began to lean forward, her eyes focused on Korra's lips. She watched for any sign of hesitance or nervousness, but she saw none. She even saw Korra tilt her head just slightly so their noses wouldn't bump together. It was so easy. It was the perfect timing, the perfect invitation, and Asami couldn't help but lean forward, bringing her lips to Korra's.

"Wait," Asami said, forcing herself to stop. "I'm sorry, Korra, but this isn't right." Asami pulled back, taking a moment to take in details around her. She focused on Korra's hair. This was one good test she'd heard of. She tried to discern individual strands of her friend's hair. No matter how much she focused though, they all blurred together.

One more test to be sure. Asami took off her pack and dug in it for something with writing on it. Her flashlight, that would do. It had the Future Industries logo on it. Or at least, it should have had it. Right now, the rough shape of it was correct, but all it had was a blur where the text should have been.

"It's a dream. And not a very subtle one," Asami said, looking back up at Korra, who'd been uncharacteristically silent as she waited for Asami. "Though I usually find myself waking up around the time I realize that I'm dreaming. So, what's different this time? Something to do with the spirit world perhaps?"

"I don't know," Korra said. She wasn't quite Korra anymore, though. Her features had seemed to shift since Asami had realized she was dreaming. The left side of her face had paled, and part of her hair had darkened to black. "There's something different now, certainly, but I don't know if it's the spirit world alone doing this. I probably would have mentioned it if I knew something about dreams being different in the spirit world, wouldn't I? Then again, maybe I do know that this doesn't happen here, and that's so mundane I never bothered to tell you."

"...Right," Asami said. She eyed the figure in front of her for a moment longer. The change in her appearance seemed to have spread, though she couldn't remember noticing it doing so. Now nearly half of her face had changed, and Asami could see that the figure was starting to look more like herself, and less like Korra. She was speaking more like Asami as well. "I suppose you can't tell me anything I don't already know, can you?"

"In a sense, no," the figure said. As she spoke, the change in her appearance grew to include her mouth as well. The hybridization of her own features with Korra's in this manner should have been a rather disturbing sight, but in the context of a dream, it didn't seem that odd. "But I can tell you things you don't know that you know. I can tell you things you've just forgotten, such as reminding you of the three dreams you had prior to this one. Do you remember those?"

With the reminder, memories of her earlier dreams filled Asami's memories. She nodded. "I do now. And I'm starting to notice a pattern. Except this is the first time I've realized I was dreaming."

"Probably because you've noticed the pattern, at least subconsciously," the figure said. As she spoke, her transformation suddenly completed. She was now Asami as well, though not a mirror image. Rather, she was a few years younger, and wearing a casual outfit that Asami hadn't worn in many years. "The problem is, I've got work to do storing memories for you while you sleep, and this series of dreams is keeping me from it. So, let's get down to it. What do you think the message of all of this is?"

Asami narrowed her eyes a bit. She wasn't quite sure what to make of this figure, or her mention of work to do, but she did at least pick up on the pattern. "The pattern is simple. Four dreams, four memories replayed, but with events playing out differently at one key moment. Probably all leading to better outcomes, to one degree or another, though the scene with my father is debatable on that. Maybe in the long run I'd have been able to dissuade him from supporting the Equalists, but it didn't work so well in the short term."

"That's the pattern," the younger Asami said. "What's the message? Focus on the choice being made in each case."

For a moment, Asami debated whether to go along with this. The figure in front of her was an aspect of herself, though. She knew that. She wasn't sure how she knew it, but she did. But there was another hand at play here. Something else wanted her to get a message. Probably a spirit of some sort. It might be that it couldn't communicate normally, and so it had to do this. Or perhaps it was trying to trick her in some way. That was the thought that made her wary.

Well, she didn't have to go along with the result of all of this, whatever the message was. With a sigh, Asami decided to go along with it for now. "The choice. Alright. In the first dream, my father chose instead to reveal his bias against benders. In the second, Mako chose to tell Korra the truth about what she'd forgotten. In the third, I made an attempt at finding the right words to describe my relationship with Korra. And in the fourth, I moved in to kiss Korra instead of freezing up and missing my chance. Although, that last one did get interrupted when I realized what was going on.

"The common thread, then…" Asami shifted her position, placing the palms of her hands on the ground behind her and leaning back. She looked up into the sky as she thought over it. "...In the first three, the change was to reveal something. Or at least put an assumption to words. That doesn't work for the final dream, though."

"A kiss says a lot as well, remember," the younger Asami said.

"Hmm. True. Alright," Asami said. "So the dreams are all showing me that things go better when things are revealed, the truth is told, things are made clear… I guess that makes the message pretty obvious, especially considering that the last two dreams were about my relationship with Korra. Something is telling me to get over myself and speak up, and things will go better."

"That's what I believe, yes."

Asami looked back at the figure. "The only thing I don't get is, why do you look like that? Why aren't you just a mirror image of me?"

"Because I'm who you need to talk to right now. I'm you, from four years ago." The younger version of Asami leaned forward as she spoke, her gaze meeting Asami's. There was almost a challenge in that gaze. "And I certainly wouldn't have missed a chance to kiss Korra, just like I didn't waste any time kissing Mako."

"And so that's the message. I should be you again," Asami said. Her eyes narrowed. She didn't think she liked where this was going. "Or at least, I should be like you, and make a clear move. Okay, I get it. Message received. Is it time to wake up or go back to regular dreams now?"

A few seconds passed, but nothing happened. "Apparently not," Asami's other self said. "Perhaps you need to make a decision. Or perhaps it's simply a matter of waiting until your body wakes up. Though as I said, I do have some work to do while you dream, so I hope we can get you back to that soon."

Asami did find herself making one decision now: She did not like this. Someone or something had decided it was their business to meddle in her relationship with Korra and tell her what they thought was best. Maybe they were right, but the context of hijacking her dreams to get that across - and the implication that someone had been listening in on her memories to know enough to do so - was seriously off-putting.

"Fine," Asami said, standing up. Maybe whoever was behind this was listening in now. Or maybe she just had to say something to end this. She looked up and spoke, using her public-speaking voice. "If anyone is listening in, I would like to speak to you directly now. Please show yourself."

Asami waited. She looked around, waiting for something to happen. She gave it a minute, but she got no response, and nothing appeared.

"Very well," she said, speaking out once more. "Then here's my message. I consider this form of communication very rude and intrusive, but I can understand that you may not be familiar with humans, and so you may not have realized this. I will tell you now, though: Let me do this on my own. I can make my own decisions regarding my relationship with Korra, and I ask that you leave us to our privacy."

Asami paused once more. Still nothing. Maybe there wasn't actually anyone or anything listening in. Maybe she wasn't even asleep. This could be some spirit world trap, like the Fog of Lost Souls. Well, if that was it, it had to follow some sort of logic. Korra had told her there was always a way out. For the Fog, it was about accepting one's own fears and overcoming them. So, if this was something like that, what was it about? Insecurity, perhaps? Inhibitions? If that was it, then the only way out was to confess to Korra, or at least be prepared to.

Asami turned around, looking back at the younger version of herself she'd been conversing with a few minutes ago. Something suddenly hit her. "Maybe I was wrong," she said. "I thought you were a part of me. I thought I knew it simply, and if you were part of me, I would indeed just know it. But it might also be a trick. And if it is, then you're the one I have to confront to end this."

The younger Asami stood up. "I think you know I'm not a trick," she said.

"Yes," Asami said. "That's certainly what my mind is telling me. But that may be part of the trick, and so I have to allow for the possibility that I'm wrong. So, let's say you're the one behind this. Let me speak to you for a moment.

"First, this is coercion. If I'm being forced to remain here until I decide I agree with you, I'm being forced into it. Second, if I'm coerced into anything in my relationship with Korra, even something for the better, it will taint it. This relationship has to be ours and ours alone, even if I make wrong choices along the way. Otherwise, Korra won't be dating me, but whoever's guiding me.

"So, if you want to do the right thing, let me forget about this dream, and let me do things my way," Asami said. "That way, I can make the choice on my own. If you won't let me out without making a decision…" Asami paused. She took a breath to steel herself, then looked into the eyes of her younger self. "I choose not to speak. It may be the wrong decision, but it's the only choice I can make that I know will be made of my own free will. I can always explain it to Korra later."

* * *

It took a minute for Asami's mind to catch up to where she was when she awoke. Over the past few weeks, things had been so hectic that it was rare she slept in the same bed two nights in a row. But for once, she found herself in quite a pleasant sleeping arrangement, with no pressing issues on her mind. She was on vacation with Korra. A vacation Korra had invited her on, in fact - just the two of them. And right now Asami found herself waking up with her arms around Korra, who'd crawled halfway out of her sleeping bag in at some point in the night to get closer to Asami.

Oh yes. This was a nice way to wake up.

Asami was in no rush to move, so she didn't wake Korra up just yet. She instead spent a bit of time thinking back on their previous day. She hadn't had much time to imagine what it might be like in the spirit world, but it she certainly hadn't imagined this. She'd have to ask Korra if the spirit world had pushed this kind of introspection on her in her previous visits.

Asami furrowed her brow as her memories caught up with when she'd gone to sleep, and memories of a series of dreams came back to her. There was more introspection, and then it turned into a nightmare about being trapped in the dream just as she'd been about to kiss Korra. Asami shook her head and let out a breath. Just a dream, nothing to worry about now.

"Mm… that's nice…" Korra said softly. Asami's eyes shot down to her friend, and she smiled at this. She certainly would agree with that sentiment, though it did sound a bit odd to hear Korra admit it so easily. Perhaps her early-morning grogginess had resulted in it slipping out of her. "I know… c'mon, Naga…" Korra continued. Asami's eyes narrowed at this, giving her friend a warning glare even though Korra's eyes were still firmly closed. "Later, Naga… with Asami now. Asami first, then you…"

At this, Asami lost it. Korra's fake sleep-talking was both so transparent and so cute she couldn't help herself, letting out a chuckle at this. She gave Korra's shoulder a light slap to "wake" her friend up.

Korra chuckled as well, probably realizing that Asami had figured her out. She pulled back and looked up at Asami, blinking her eyes a few times. A hint of a grin was already on her lips. "Oh, morning Asami," she said. Asami narrowed her eyes just a bit to let Korra know she wasn't fooling her. "Sleep well?"

"Not bad. I woke up quite nicely, though," Asami said... or at least, tried to say. Her voice didn't seem to be coming out clearly. She blinked, trying to speak up as she continued, "And it seems you woke up in an interesting mood…" she said, trying again. It felt like she was speaking, but she wasn't hearing anything. Her heart beat began to pick up as she tried again, "Korra!" She could definitely feel it in her throat, but no sound came through her lips.

"...Asami?" Korra said. Her eyes widened, and Asami could clearly see the growing worry there. "Okay okay, I'm sorry about my joke," Korra said. "You fooled me, okay? You can start talking again…. please?" It took Asami a moment to realize what Korra was getting at. But no, unfortunately this wasn't simply a strange attempt at joking in turn.

Asami's gaze met Korra's, and she shook her head slowly. She wasn't joking with this. She had no idea what was happening, but there had to be a way to figure that out.

Korra's eyes showed worry for a moment, and then her expression hardened into one Asami had seen hundreds of times before in her friend's features: Resolve. "Okay," Korra said. She took a steadying breath, and then adjusted her position. She pulled back a bit from Asami and pulled herself out of her sleeping bag. She pushed herself up into a sitting position as she continued, "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to figure out what's causing this, and then we'll go from there. We're going to fix this, okay? Are you with me, Asami?"

Asami nodded, almost on instinct. Despite the situation, she actually found the corner of her lips being tugged up into a grin. This was the Korra she couldn't help but admire, who she'd follow into battle without question. Of course she was with her. Letting Korra's confidence help keep her calm, Asami sat up as well, facing Korra.

"Okay. First things first, can you remember anything from last night, after I went to sleep? Did you wake up in the middle of the night and notice anything, perhaps?" Korra said. Her voice was steady, and her body betrayed no nervousness or fear. Her eyes, though… No, Asami forced herself not to look into Korra's eyes right now. If her friend was truly worried, perhaps it was better Asami didn't know it.

Asami took a deep breath. She leaned back and looked up as she tried to recall everything that had happened since Korra had fallen asleep. No, she couldn't recall waking up at all. That nightmare, though… That could be something. Asami looked back at Korra, trying to figure out how to communicate this to her friend. Well, she could start by answering Korra's question. Asami shook her head: No, she hadn't woken up. She moved her head down slowly while looking at Korra, bringing up a hand with a finger raised, trying to get across a "but."

She paused for a minute, trying to think of a way she could mime "dream," but it wasn't coming to her. With a frustrated huff, Asami turned to find her backpack. She rifled around in it for a minute, trying to look for something she could write with. She hadn't thought a need to write would come up when she was packing for this trip, and so she hadn't specifically packed anything for it, but she was pretty sure there was a pencil at least in one of her supply kits.

"Is something missing?" Korra said, distracting Asami in her search. That possibility hadn't occurred to her, but now that Korra mentioned it, it was worth looking into. Asami quickly went through all the major items in her bag, then shook her head. It was all there. She then grabbed out her toolkit and opened it up, letting out a sigh of relief as she saw a small pencil and pad of paper.

Asami pulled them out. It wasn't a particularly large pad, so she might have to conserve it in case this lasted for a while before she got back to the human world and could resupply. Depending on what they found out, they might not be able to spare the time to go back. So, Asami began to write in as small a script as she could manage and with as few words as possible to get her message across. "Had dream. Remember it clearly, trapped in it for a while."

Asami was about to write more, but she paused as Korra moved around to look at what she'd written. "Um, Asami?" Korra said after a moment, looking over at her friend. "I, um, think it's affected your writing too."

Furrowing her brow, Asami looked back over what she'd written. While she'd thought it made sense and had been coming out clearly as she initially wrote, her sentence was in fact a complete mess. She couldn't even pick out a single legible word in it. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Asami tried again. She'd do it one word at a time if she had to. She tried to slowly, carefully write out the word "dream," trying to keep it making sense as she wrote, but what made sense as she wrote was suddenly gibberish as soon as her pencil left the paper. Asami closed her eyes, grunting in frustration despite herself.

"Asami?" Korra said. Asami opened her eyes back up and looked over at her friend. Korra's face showed surprise, but of a good sort, considering the situation. "I heard that," Korra said. Asami tilted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Your grunt," Korra explained. "I heard it. Maybe your voice is back?"

Asami's eyes widened. "Let me try to speak," she tried to say, but once again nothing came out. Her heart fell, and she let out a sigh. Then, after a moment, she let out a grunt. It wasn't a sound she particularly enjoyed making, but it was a sound. She heard it. Maybe it was just speech she'd lost? Asami looked back up at Korra and held up her hand as she tried something. "Aaaahhhh…" she said, simply trying to make a solid tone. Once more, she could hear it. Asami closed her eyes, finding relief in this development. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"There we go!" Korra said. Asami opened her eyes and looked at her friend, who was grinning widely now. "Our first clue. It's just speech you've lost. And writing. So… just words. You can make sounds…" Korra looked down, pursing her lips as she thought, then she looked back up at Asami. "Can you draw?"

It was worth a shot. Asami nodded at Korra and then brought her pencil to the pad again. Okay, she wanted to get across "dream" to Korra. Not the easiest thing to draw, but not impossible. Asami started simply, sketching a stick figure on its side. She pulled her pencil back when she was done with it, looking at it for a moment. It worked. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"There we go!" Korra said. Asami felt her friend's hand on her knee, giving it a soft squeeze, and she smiled back at Korra.

Asami went back to her drawing, trying to fill in the rest of the needed details. She drew in a face on the figure with horizontal lines for closed eyes, trying to get across that it was sleeping. Above it, she drew a cloud, representing thoughts, as done in newspaper comics. Inside it, she sketched a smaller stick figure inside a cage. When she was done, Asami looked back up at Korra, motioning to the cloud with her pencil.

"A cloud, no… thoughts? A dream?" Korra said, narrowing her eyes as she tried to make it out. Asami nodded her head quickly as Korra hit on "dream," and she gave her friend an encouraging smile. She pointed again at the figure in the cage she'd drawn within the cloud. "Okay, in the dream… Someone's trapped?" Asami nodded again, then pointed at herself. "You. You were trapped. You dreamed you were trapped somewhere?" Asami nodded at first, then pointed back at the cloud she'd drawn. A look of confusion crossed Korra's face, and so Asami drew in a line connecting the cage to the cloud, with arrows at both ends. "The dream was the cage?" Korra said. Her eyes widened suddenly, looking at Asami. "You were trapped in a dream?"

Asami nodded, letting out a sigh. That was the key part. There was still more that might be useful for Korra to know, though, about the message she felt someone was trying to get across to her, but that would be trickier. She'd have to think about that a bit to figure out how to communicate it.

"Okay," Korra said. Her hand shifted, coming to a rest on Asami's knee. "So then, how did you get out, do you remember?"

" _So, if you want to do the right thing, let me forget about this dream, and let me do things my way," Asami said. "That way, I can make the choice on my own. If you won't let me out without making a decision…" Asami paused. She took a breath to steel herself, then looked into the eyes of her younger self. "I choose not to speak. It may be the wrong decision, but it's the only choice I can make that I know will be made of my own free will. I can always explain it to Korra later."_

Asami remembered all too clearly. She could remember every word she'd spoken then, as if it had been engraved in her mind.

" _I choose not to speak."_

Was that it? Had Asami's words been taken too literally by whomever or whatever had trapped her in her dream? Asami felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She'd done this to herself. She'd gotten careless when dealing with something powerful here, and it had cost her.

Asami suddenly felt Korra's arms reach around her torso. Her friend pulled her in close, and Asami soon felt Korra's body press up against hers and her friend's head coming to rest on her shoulder. Letting out a breath, Asami reached her own arms around Korra's back, returning the embrace. Somehow Korra knew just what Asami needed right now, even if Asami couldn't say it out loud. For that, Asami was grateful beyond words.

"We'll figure this out," Korra said. "And we're  _not_  going to let it ruin our vacation. I'm showing you a good time here, whether you can thank me for it or not."

Asami let out a light laugh, just barely audible. Her chest filled with warmth at this reminder of just why she'd fallen for Korra. She definitely had made the wrong choice, but she had to deal with it now. She was certain they could find a way out of this. And when they did, Asami knew what the first four words out of her lips would be.  _"I love you, Korra…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review if you enjoyed! They do wonders to encourage me to keep writing.


	5. Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for answers begins, and Asami searches for a brighter place ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. I hope you all continue to enjoy!

**Unspoken Words**

**Book One:**  Command

 **Chapter 4:** Tunnel

* * *

"We'll figure this out," Korra said, holding Asami securely within her arms as she spoke. "And we're  _not_  going to let it ruin our vacation. I'm showing you a good time here, whether you can thank me for it or not."

Asami slowly seemed to relax as Korra held her. Korra wasn't sure exactly what had caused her friend to suddenly get upset like this. It could have been many things, really - Asami had more than enough to be depressed about in her life. Though really, that didn't matter right now. All that Korra cared about was that Asami was hurting right now, whatever the reason. She was going to be here for her friend, as long as she was needed.

After a few minutes, Asami pulled back from the embrace. She smiled at Korra, giving a small nod of thanks. She then glanced over at her backpack and made a few motions with her hands, miming eating some food.

"Ah, good idea," Korra said with a nod. It usually wasn't a problem finding food in the spirit world, but this region of it did seem more barren than normal, so it was a good thing Asami had reminded her to bring along some rations. Korra pushed herself over toward her own backpack and searched through it to find some of them. "Okay, here we are," Korra said as she found some. She sat back and faced Asami as she unpacked them. "And don't worry, just leave it to me and I'll get us some real food before the day is out. Just let it try and hide from me!"

Asami narrowed her eyes in response to this as she began to eat her own breakfast, though the corner of her lips did curl up a bit.

"What? Some food can hide! Especially if you have to hunt it… which you wouldn't here, because there are no animals, only spirits, so…" Korra glanced to the side as she tried to think of a way to cover for her previous comment, but nothing was coming. When she looked back at Asami, she caught the other woman just about to break out into laughter. "Shut up! It's the spirit world, I'm sure vegetables can hide here. Probably."

Asami managed to stop herself from laughing, but she did smile at Korra and give her a wink.

* * *

"Alright," Korra said as she finished her breakfast. She folded up her ration's wrapping and placed it back in her backpack. No need to ruin this pristine environment through littering. Plus, for all she knew, there was some anti-littering spirit she might offend by just dumping her trash here. Or maybe a litter-eating spirit who'd prefer she left it… Well, she couldn't satisfy everyone. "So. Anything in particular you'd like to do today, Asami?" she said, looking over at her friend.

Asami tilted her head to the side. After a moment, she held a finger up as she seemed to come to a decision. She leaned her head back and tapped on her throat. She then brought her hand to her mouth and mimed something coming out of it, then tilted her head, opened her eyes wide, and gave Korra a sad look.

"Hmm… you want to listen to spirits throat-singing a tragic love song?" Korra said. "Well, I haven't heard of any that can do that, but we can ask around." She tried to keep a straight face as long as she could, but Asami's gaze made it difficult to keep it up. She held up her hands and smiled. "Okay okay! Just kidding. We can try to figure out how to get you your voice back. But it could take some time to figure out, so we might as well enjoy our time here, right?"

Korra paid close attention to Asami's expression. She sensed that trying to keep the mood light was for the best right now, so that Asami didn't get too worried. And so it didn't ruin their vacation. She just needed to make sure that Asami didn't think she was taking this too lightly. Thankfully, Asami let out a sigh and nodded. She did give Korra a serious look, though. Perhaps for now they should decide what to do about this.

"Okay," Korra said. "Let's take this one step at a time. First thing, let's brainstorm. Anything we can think of that might be able to fix this, or at least tell us more about it." She pushed herself up to her feet as she began to think about this; she'd been sitting or lying down for more than long enough, and there was no reason she couldn't give her muscles a good stretch while she did this. As she began to stretch herself out, she said, "Okay, first… healing. I could try to use my waterbending to fix it, though I don't think this is the type of thing it can work on. We could also take you to Katara to see if she could help, but again, it may just be impossible to heal that way."

Asami nodded. She followed Korra's lead and pushed herself up to her feet. She did a few stretches of her own, then seemed to think about something for a moment. She knelt back down and grabbed her pad and pencil again, then stood up and began to draw something. After a minute, she passed the pad over to Korra.

Korra eyed what Asami had drawn - or perhaps written - for a moment. It looked kind of like Asami had written the character for 'Sound,' but with a few mistakes with the bottom half and with a mouth drawn in the middle of it. "Um, were you trying to write 'sound'?" Korra said, looking up at Asami.

Asami blinked. She snatched the pad of paper back from Korra and looked at it for a moment. A smile slowly crossed her face, and she let out a laugh. She shook her head, handing the pad back to Korra. She pointed to the drawing, then down toward the ground. She held her hand up at about waist height, using her other hand to point between the drawing on the pad and the space below her hand.

It took Korra a minute, but she suddenly caught on to what Asami was getting at. "That creature!" she said, her mind flashing back to the creature that had made an appearance before them the previous day. Asami's drawing actually matched it quite well. "The one who invited us to visit Master Sheng."

Asami gave Korra a relieved smile and nodded at this. There was perhaps a hint of frustration in her expression, but Korra ignored it. It might have taken her a bit, but she did figure it out.

"Yeah, that was weird," Korra said. She furrowed her brow for a moment as she thought. "It's the only thing we've encountered here so far, so I guess it's a good bet that it might be connected to what happened to you. It didn't feel like a spirit to me though, so I can't track it easily. I suppose we could go to Zhi-Wen valley, like it said… though I really don't know where that is.

"Hmm…" Korra pursed her lips for a minute as she thought. "I'm sure some spirits will know. Some might even have an idea about what happened to you. So we should put 'gather information from spirits' on our list as well."

Asami nodded at this. She seemed to be thinking about something herself, though she wasn't coming up with any other ideas. Or at least, she wasn't coming up with any ideas that she could communicate with Korra. It was possible she knew something complicated that she couldn't express, though.

"Asami?" Korra said. Her friend turned to face her again. "I just thought of something. Is there anything you know, or any ideas you have that might help, that you just don't know how to tell me about?"

Asami's eyes widened at this, and she nodded. She shrugged slightly, giving Korra an apologetic expression.

"No no!" Korra said. "I'm not blaming you! I just… Well, I just wanted to check. In case something comes to me later, and we can figure out how to communicate. Some weird spirit world way for me to get into your head or… something…" Korra trailed off as she said this, looking away from Asami.

After a moment, Korra felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over to find Asami giving her a quizzical gaze.

"Ah, um… sorry," Korra said, smiling weakly. It wasn't exactly an idea she wanted to try, but it was a possibility. And it really didn't seem fair to hold anything back from Asami right now. "Alright. Spirit-bending. If this is a spiritual issue, there's a chance that could fix it. It's not exactly the safest thing in the world, though. I could end up hurting your soul in some way, or getting hurt myself. But… it is a possibility."

Asami gave Korra a soft smile and nodded slowly. She seemed to think about something for a minute, and then she reached down to take Korra's hand in hers. Asami brought Korra's hand up to her chest, pressing Korra's palm against her heart. She held it there with both of her hands, then looked into Korra's eyes. She slowly, deliberately tried to speak a sentence. Nothing came out from her lips, but Korra could feel her friend's chest moving with every word Asami tried to speak.

Korra looked into Asami's eyes. When they were fighting alongside each other, she and Asami always seemed to instinctively know what the other was planning to do. It was some mix of practice, a natural bond, and simply knowing each other well. And right now, those same instincts told Korra exactly what Asami was trying to say. "You'd never want to risk hurting me like that, would you?" Korra said.

Korra could feel Asami's heartbeat speed up just a bit. Her friend smiled and nodded at Korra. Korra smiled back, feeling a warmth growing in her chest at this reminder of how much Asami cared about her well-being.

"Hey, don't worry," Korra said. She smiled at Asami. "We're gonna figure this out, and no one's going to get hurt. Just leave it to me. Far from my first time doing something like this. We just need to keep moving forward. Even if it seems dark now, we'll come to a brighter place eventually."

Those weren't quite the right words. Korra was pretty sure she'd heard something like that in a past life, but there was no way for her to remember it exactly, after Raava's destruction and rebirth three years ago. But… there was something there. Korra smiled to herself, then looked back at Asami and smiled at her friend.

"Alright, let's start with some waterbending healing," Korra said, grabbing her canteen from her hip. "Just in case it helps."

* * *

Asami paused in her step. Something was off. After confirming that her lost voice wasn't anything Korra's waterbending could heal, they'd decided to set off to find a way to the rest of the spirit world. She and Korra had been making their way through the mountains for a few hours now, with no sign of life from anything but the two of them. And yet, Asami found her combat instincts kicking in and was preparing to defend herself at a moment's notice. She still had no idea of the reason for it, though.

A moment later, Korra stopped as well. She didn't turn back toward Asami, though. "A spirit's coming. Underground," Korra said. "I'll try and get a pin on exactly where it is, but watch your feet."

So, her instincts had been on to something. Asami still couldn't sense anything in particular from this spirit, though. Her instincts must have been taking their cue from Korra's body language. That was probably her best bet, then, until she got some other sign of where the spirit was. Asami watched Korra as she shifted her stance, ready to leap away at a moment's notice if the ground began to fall out from under her.

Korra's gaze suddenly shot over toward Asami's feet, and Asami leaped aside. She spun in mid-air, facing the spot she'd just left, and her hand moved to her hip, ready to put on her electrified glove if needed. As she landed, she saw the ground in front of her glow yellow. It seemed to liquify, being sucked downward in chunks, and then a creature popped up in the middle of the new hole.

The creature reminded Asami of a badger mole, though it was colored a pale orange and was hardly larger than a boar-q-pine. It had no eyes that she could see, and it seemed to be sensing mostly with its nose, which shifted color from gold to black and back again. It turned to face Asami - at least, she thought it was facing her; it could also have been the back of its head for all she knew - and said, "Ah, there you are. Why do you humans insist on hiding in the air? Don't you know how hard it is to smell you there?"

Asami blinked. Although the creature was definitely speaking, it didn't have a mouth of any sort that she could see. Instead, its nose seemed to shift color in time with its voice. For a moment, her mind tried to make some sense of this all, but then she gave up and simply let a grin cross her face. Now, this was the type of thing she'd been hoping to encounter when she'd come to the spirit world. Perhaps with a bit less threat of falling in a newly-formed hole, but no harm was intended or done.

Asami began to speak - or at least, she tried to. She covered up her momentary forgetfulness as she looked over at Korra, though it unfortunately turned out that she hadn't been quite discreet enough with her slip-up. Korra didn't say anything, but she did give Asami a quick smile and wink before she stepped toward the creature.

"We really weren't intending to hide from you," Korra said. "So I'm sorry if it seemed that way. In any case, I'm the Avatar Korra, and this is my… friend, Asami Sato. We're here to visit the spirit world."

The creature turned toward Korra and sniffed in her direction a couple times. It skittered out of its hole and over toward her, then circled around Korra's feet as it continued to sniff at her. "Korra, Korra… Nope, not familiar. You sure you didn't mean to say Kuruk? You've got a very 'Kuruk' smell."

"Nope, I'm Korra. I'm from the Water Tribe as well, though, which is why I might remind you of him," Korra said. She looked down at the creature as it sat in front of her, a grin on her face now. Asami found herself smiling as well, though in her case it was at the thought of someone actually managing to get Korra and Kuruk mixed up. "Would you mind telling us who you are?"

The creature tilted its head to one side, then the other. "What do you mean? I am who I am. If someone told you I was someone else, they were wrong."

"No no, I mean, what's your name?" Korra asked.

"Name? Do I look like a human to you? What do I need with a name? I swear, you humans just make no sense sometimes…" The creature turned, heading over toward Asami. It looked up at her, sniffing the air a bit, then circled around her feet, sniffing some more. "Now you… you're being sensible. Not asking weird questions, not trying to confuse me about your identity. I think we could get along well. I've been looking for a pet."

Asami looked over at Korra with a grin as this creature spoke, then let out a laugh at its last sentence. She knelt down, getting on a level with the creature, and held out her hand to it, palm down. It leaned over toward her hand and sniffed it for a moment.

"Actually, Asami's been having trouble speaking today," Korra said, taking a few steps toward Asami and the creature. "When she woke up this morning, she'd lost her voice. By any chance, do you know what might have caused that?"

The creature turned its head to look over at Korra. "Morning? What do you mean by that?" Asami gave Korra a glance at this, and a sympathetic smile. She'd forgotten herself that this place didn't have a normal day and night cycle.

"Um, I just meant, when she woke up," Korra said. "So, is there anything around here that could take her voice away? Any spirits to watch out for, perhaps?"

"Around here? I'm the only spirit here now. More might come later, once I get a tunnel dug," the creature said. "I'll have to check this place out myself, too. These mountains smell quite beautiful. But I've got work to do. Gotta get back to digging." The creature hopped and turned around, heading back to its hole.

Work? That meant someone had asked it to dig this. Asami shot Korra a glance, then looked at the creature, hoping her friend got the hint to follow up on this point.

"Oh, sure," Korra said. "But, um, who are you working for?" she asked. She glanced quickly at Asami, who nodded to confirm Korra had gotten the message.

"Master Sheng," the creature said, pausing as it reached the edge of its hole. "He's paying me quite well to dig a tunnel from here to Zhi-Wen Valley. Which I really have to do, or I won't get paid. So, if you don't mind…" The creature touched its nose to the ground near its hole, causing the earth to turn yellow and liquify. The creature soon began to suck the earth up into its nose, circling the hole as it worked.

"Oh, sure!" Korra said. Her face lit up at this revelation, and she looked over at Asami. Asami grinned and nodded, encouraging her friend to pursue this. "We actually need to meet Master Sheng. Could you tell us where Zhi-Wen Valley is, so we can head there?"

The creature paused in its digging for a moment. "Fastest way is through my tunnel. Why else would I be digging it? Long way to go, lots of work to do, but the pay is good." The creature went back to its digging. It was making steady progress, turning its hole into a tunnel that Korra and Asami might be able to use, but there was really no telling how long it could take before it was finished.

Asami let out a sigh. She looked at Korra and shook her head, then shrugged. She looked around for a moment. Perhaps there was someplace else they could go in the meantime?

Korra nodded. "Okay. Well, thanks then," she said to the creature, giving it a polite bow. "We'll be back in a while, and we look forward to using your tunnel once you're finished with it. I think we'll go visit someplace else in the spirit world in the meantime."

The creature let out a chittering noise as it resumed working on its tunnel. Asami stepped around the work site, joining Korra. Judging by her friend's pace, Korra was thinking the same thing right now: Get far enough away so they could talk in some privacy, then discuss this.

Asami and Korra didn't get too far away though before the creature called out to them, "Wait a minute! Why are you going that way?"

"Huh?" Korra said. She and Asami paused in their step and turned around. "We're off to see the rest of the spirit world," she said.

"You really are bad at making sense…" the creature said. It didn't have eyes, but Asami nevertheless felt like it was rolling its eyes at them. "There's no more of it that way, unless you want to go the long way around to get anywhere. Everything else is this way." The creature motioned downward with its nose.

"Below us?" Korra said, her eyes widening a bit.

Asami's mind flashed back to her conversation with Korra the previous night. One of Korra's ideas was that this was the underside of the spirit world, and the trees they saw were the roots of the Tree of Time. Perhaps she was right after all, which would mean they were upside-down right now compared to the rest of the spirit world.

"Well it's not above you. Nothing but air up there," the creature said. "The ground is where you want to go through to get anywhere quickly. You'd think humans would have figured that out by now…" The creature seemed to shrug, and it hopped back into its work site.

Asami turned to Korra, and a moment later, her friend turned to face her as well, a proud grin crossing her lips. She cracked her knuckles, and got into an earthbending stance as she said, "Well, what do you say, Asami: Want to see how the Avatar digs a tunnel?"

Asami smiled at Korra. She met her friend's gaze and took a step back. She casually flipped her hair back, making sure it didn't look like she was doing it on purpose. She then waved her hand out, encouraging Korra to show off her best.

* * *

No matter how long she knew Korra, the Avatar continued to find new ways to impress Asami. It was quite obvious she was doing it on purpose, but Asami certainly wasn't complaining. Well, she wouldn't have been complaining even if she could right now. She'd been expecting Korra to earthbend a tunnel for them; that wasn't the impressive part. It was the elevator Korra had managed to bend for them that was really a nice touch. Korra was even able to keep it to a smooth ride as she she bent the earth around them, propelling them downward.

At least, it was smooth up until the point when gravity suddenly shifted on them, resulting in both Korra and Asami falling into the side of the elevator, and then the ceiling. Asami's instincts were woefully unprepared for falling in this manner, and so she ended up hitting her shoulder rather hard against the wall in the first fall and let out a sharp grunt. By the second fall, Korra's instincts were able to kick in and use her airbending to cushion the impact a bit, though with the rather confined space, Asami's elbow still ended up crashing into the wall.

Asami had lost her grip on her flashlight in the chaos, and the light had gone out on them, leaving the two of them in pitch blackness. That wasn't a big issue, though; it wasn't as if there was much of danger in here. Asami reached her hands out, feeling at the area around her to get an idea of where Korra was. Thankfully for her pride, she didn't end up accidentally groping Korra as she did this, and her hand simply came into contact with her friend's leg.

As she touched her friend's leg, it began to strike Asami as odd that Korra hadn't said anything yet. "Korra?" she tried to say, forgetting again that it wouldn't work. Asami shifted her position, feeling carefully around herself to try to get a sense of the situation.

They were in an enclosed earthen box far underground, with limited air inside. If Korra wasn't responding or moving, she was likely unconscious. She'd been able to cushion the last fall though, so it was very unlikely that she'd hit the ceiling - now the floor - with enough force to do any damage she couldn't use her waterbending to heal. But healing it would require waking up, which would require surviving long enough, which would require a sufficient supply of air.

"Alright, Korra," Asami said. No sound came out, but she ignored that fact. The important thing right now was to keep calm, and talking this through would help her with that, whether anyone heard her or not. Besides, she'd had enough of keeping quiet today. "I'm going to need to open this elevator up. I hope you didn't make the walls too thick, and I hope you thought to leave a hole for air up above us. Now, if you know where my flashlight is, now would be a good time to speak up."

No sound came from Korra, so Asami began to search around the floor for wherever it might be that her flashlight had gotten to. She kept her breathing as steady as possible; she couldn't afford to waste air. She methodically went over every inch of the floor, tracing around Korra's unconscious body. She was able to find her backpack, then Korra's bag. No flashlight, though. Asami tucked her backpack into the corner, then turned back to Korra.

"I'm sorry about this, Korra. I promise I won't tell anyone I had to do this with the Avatar," Asami said. She began tracing her hands over Korra's body, searching for the presence of the flashlight. "I better not find out later that this was just some ill-advised trick to get me to feel you up," she said as she began tracing her hands over Korra's chest. "Because honestly, you could have just asked."

There! The flashlight had ended up between Korra's left breast and her arm. Asami grabbed it and leaned back, trying to turn it on. The switch was no help, but Asami had been expecting that. They'd made this model to be durable and water-resistant, which meant that the power-supply disconnected automatically whenever something went wrong. Once she hit the button on the base to reseat the power supply, the light immediately turned on.

Asami let herself smile at this. "There we go. That's one task complete. Now, let's see how you're doing, Korra," she said. She leaned forward again, bringing her fingers to just below Korra's nose. She was breathing. Good. Asami turned the flashlight up toward Korra's head, searching for any sign of injury. She didn't want to risk moving her friend, but at least from what she saw, there wasn't any blood. That didn't mean they were out of the woods yet. A concussion could still be quite serious. She might even need to take Korra to see another healer when they got out of here. "Okay. You'll live," Asami said. "I just need to make sure you live long enough now."

Asami turned to her backpack. Thankfully, digging into rock was one of the tasks she'd been prepared for, in case she and Korra had ended up doing any rock climbing while they were here. Climbing wasn't likely to be of much help right now, but a piton would still get the job done of opening up an air hole for them.

"Hold tight, Korra," Asami said. "I've got this." She took a deep breath, trying not to think of the fact that doing so was using up their air supply. As Asami got out a piton and hammer, Korra's words from earlier came back to her. She just had to keep moving forward, and they'd come to a brighter place. One careful hole at a time, until she found the light.

* * *

"Mm… that's nice…" Korra muttered softly. She was only half-conscious right now, but it was quite a pleasant way to wake up. "I know… c'mon, Naga…" Korra reached her hand up to give the polar bear dog a bit of affection she was sorely needing, judging by all the licks Naga was giving her right now. "Later, Naga… with Asami now. Asami first, then you…"

Naga's kisses stopped as Korra said this. "Is Asami the name of your friend?" Naga said.

Korra's eyes blinked open as her mind finally realized that this wasn't quite making sense. For one thing, Naga's licks came from far too small of a tongue. For another, Naga didn't talk. ...That probably should have been the first thing.

Korra focused on the figure of a white puppy, who was currently perched on her chest and looking down at her. A smile crossed her face as she recognized this spirit. "Hey there, little cutie," Korra said. It was the closest she had to a name for this spirit. It certainly fit, but she might need to find out or come up with a better one sooner or later. Speaking of names, "And yeah, Asami's her name. So um, mind telling me how we got here?"


	6. Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Korra out of commission and the two of them trapped far underground, Asami must find a way to survive.

**Unspoken Words**

**Book One:** Command

 **Chapter 5:** Light

* * *

Asami started with the wall. If Korra had left an opening behind them as she’d earthbent rock around their elevator, and if they were upside-down now relative to how they were when they’d started, then that opening would be below the floor now. Making a hole in it didn’t strike Asami as a good idea, though. There was too much risk of the floor giving out beneath them if she did that. It was originally the ceiling, after all, and so she didn’t imagine Korra had thought to make it very thick.

It was an option, though, if they needed to get out. But it was risky, and there wasn’t a need to take a risk like that just yet, so the wall it was. Asami found a decent seam between two slabs of rock in the wall, then placed the tip of her piton against it. Holding her flashlight between her elbow and side, she carefully struck the piton with her hammer, pushing it in inch by inch, wary of losing her grip on it once it broke through the other side of the wall.

Asami closed her eyes and let out a sigh as she felt the piton break through. She pulled it back and brought her flashlight up to inspect the hole. It wasn’t really much of a hole - pitons were designed to help with climbing after all, not making holes - but it was something. It wouldn’t allow much airflow as it was, but if she worked to expand it, she could try to breathe through it herself. That would leave more air in the elevator for Korra along, which would in turn buy Korra some more time to recover.

Asami brought the piton up to the wall again, and she began working to expand the hole. This step was simply survival. She had to think about what she could do to actually get out if Korra didn’t wake up on her own soon enough. She didn’t remotely have the tools she’d need to dig her way out, so that was off the table. She’d need to get help. If not from Korra, then from someone or something else.

As far as Asami knew, although certain people could meditate to enter the spirit world from anywhere in the human world, there was no way to do the reverse. The only way to contact anyone in the human world was to get to a spirit portal and go through it. Or else, luck into meeting someone from the human world who was meditating and projecting themself into the spirit world in the right place. This wasn’t exactly impossible - Korra said that she’d let Jinora know where they were going and to contact them if needed - but it was far from likely.

After some work, Asami had managed to get the hole just wide enough to fit a couple of her fingers in it. She didn’t quite trust it would allow enough airflow yet, so she turned to the other wall. She found a seam in it, then traced it down to near the floor. If she made a hole here, she could try to position Korra’s head near it so her friend would be able to breath a slightly fresher mix of air.

In any case, barring a very lucky visit from Jinora, Asami couldn’t count on help from any humans. That left spirits. They’d only encountered one actual spirit so far: that miniature badger mole who was digging a tunnel to Zhi-Wen valley. If she could find a way to contact it, it would almost certainly be able to help. It might not be as fast at getting through earth as Korra was, but it could do it. The question was how to contact it.

Asami ran her and Korra’s conversation with it through her mind. It had mentioned being able to smell her and Korra’s rough location from when it was underground. So there was a chance it could still smell them, and perhaps notice that they’d stopped moving. That might make it come and check what was going on. She couldn’t count on that happening, though. Perhaps there was something she could do to get its attention. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind right now.

Aside from that creature, they’d only encountered the strange wire creature with a large mouth, who had invited them to see Master Sheng. Korra had said it wasn’t a spirit, though. Perhaps it was an extension of Master Sheng, then. Well, it seemed to be able to travel through the ground, so there was a chance it could get in here as well. And Master Sheng was aware of their presence somehow, though Asami really had no idea how. So again, there was a chance he might notice they needed help, but she couldn’t think of anything she could do to call out to him.

Perhaps she should give meditation a try, then. It might help her get in contact with some nearby spirit. She’d never tried it before though, and she had no training in it. It had taken Korra quite a long time before she’d had any success with it, but Asami might have a bit more luck. It wasn’t very likely, but it was a possibility. It might even have been her best idea so far, at least once she got done with making another air hole. Worst case scenario, it would help slow down her breathing so she’d use less air, giving Korra more time to wake up.

The air hole was decently large by this point. Asami tried to use her flashlight to look through it, and see just what might have been on the other side of the wall. She couldn’t make out anything past the hole, though. That was probably a good sign. It at least meant there was some space out there, which meant a decent amount of air. It still had to get in though With the amount of time it was taking Asami to dig out air holes, she wasn’t quite sure the math worked out in favor of spending time and energy to make any more.

Asami turned back around and placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder. “I’m going to move you a bit, Korra,” she said. Still no sound, and she still didn’t care. “Hopefully this will let you breathe well enough.” Asami carefully shifted her friend’s body, adjusting Korra’s position so that her face was as close to the hole as possible. She then sat down herself, not far from the first hole she’d made. Time to give meditation a try.

She’d give this some time, making an effort to call out to any spirit who might be nearby. If it wasn’t working, and Korra didn’t wake up, Asami would consider trying to break through the floor. But not yet. So, first, the position. Asami sat crossed-legged, then turned off her flashlight and placed it between her legs. She closed her eyes, balled her hands into fists and touched them gently against each other in front of her stomach.

It was her first time trying this herself, but she’d spent quite a bit of time watching over Korra as she meditated. The first part was breathing. She had to keep her breath slow and steady. Focus on nothing but her own breath. Slowly in, slowly out, and repeat. In… out… repeat. Try to empty her mind now. Free herself. Let herself connect with the world, but don’t force it. She was pretty sure that was how it went.

Clearing her mind was the hard part right now. First, she caught herself thinking about how she was supposed to be clearing her mind. Then she was thinking about how she was failing to clear her mind. And then she was thinking about how hard this was, and wondering if it was even possible. But no, she could do it. She had to do this. For Korra’s sake, Asami had to make this work.

Asami was able to get a bit better at it, and she felt like she was getting somewhere. But then her mind drifted to imagining the unconscious figure of Korra. When she pushed that out of the way, her mind instead conjured up an image of Korra’s head striking the floor. Asami nearly winced as she pushed this out of her thoughts. Korra was going to be fine. She’d survived that impact. If she’d been in any real danger, she’d have gone into the Avatar state and…

The Avatar state! Asami’s eyes opened. She grabbed her flashlight and switched it on again, focusing it on Korra’s face. If she could get Korra to go into the Avatar state, it would wake her up and she’d be able to get them out of there easily. And to trigger it… Korra had to truly be in danger.

Asami gazed at her friend’s face. It wouldn’t be hard at all to cut off Korra’s air supply, which would likely prompt her body to go into the Avatar state. After a long minute, Asami found that she couldn’t bring herself to move a muscle, though. That would be putting Korra’s life at serious risk, and she wasn’t that desperate yet. But if nothing changed, then Korra’s life was in danger anyway. If she didn’t wake up, then they’d run out of air eventually, and Korra would end up in the same situation. The only difference would be that Asami would be suffocating at the same time.

From that perspective, it made sense to try to force the issue now. Asami spent another long minute gazing at Korra’s face, trying to imagine herself pinching her friend’s nose shut and covering her mouth. She could feel her heart twisting at just the thought of it. No, she couldn’t do it. She’d wait it out if she had to, and take the risk that something might happen to her before Korra could save her.

But she wasn’t going to give up on meditating just yet, either. She had a more tangible goal in mind now. There was just one spirit she needed to contact: Raava. Asami figured that Raava would normally be harder for someone else to contact through meditation than any other spirit, but she was also far closer than any other right now. Perhaps it was worth trying.

Asami turned off her flashlight and leaned back. She let her eyes fall closed, and she cleared her mind as much as possible. She could do this. There was no way Korra was going to die on her watch.

* * *

Maybe it was the fact that she was in the spirit world. Maybe it was the isolation from all sound and light. Maybe it was all the time she had to commit to meditation. Whatever it was, Asami felt like she was getting somewhere. She could feel something with her. She tried to follow the connection, hoping it would lead her to Raava, but… no, it wasn’t her. It was something, though.

Asami let her mind drift. She couldn’t force this. Every previous time she’d tried to force a connection to something, it had faded away. She wasn’t going to miss this chance. She kept her mind clear, letting thoughts seep in as they might, but not holding on them. It was as if she’d been drawn into a flowing river of ideas. She had to ride it out, let it take her where it might, and simply watch the images that flashed through her mind.

She was a teenager again. Her father taught her how the engine on a motorcycle worked. She redesigned the cycle, having figured out how to improve its fuel efficiency and make it more aerodynamic. She rode the cycle through Republic City, and only barely avoided running over Mako. On a date with Mako, she learned that he needed money and saw an easy way to get in his good graces. She met Mako’s teammates; his brother was friendly, but the Avatar was distant.

Asami tried to get closer to Mako. She asked him to join her in her bed one night, but his nerves overtook him and he turned her down. She managed to get closer to his friend, Korra, showing her an exciting drive. She learned that Korra had a crush on Mako, and she realized Mako had feelings for Korra as well. It dawned on her that she’d acted too quickly, without knowing the whole situation. Her eventual heartbreak was her own fault.

Mako and Korra got together; Mako and Korra broke up. Asami’s life crumbled around her, and she succumbed to weakness. She wanted someone, needed someone, but she didn’t think about who. She went where she’d been before, and it all happened again. She kissed Mako, she got back together with Mako, and she got her heart broken by Mako. This time, at least Korra made the right decision in the end and called it off with Mako for good. It didn’t undo the fact that Mako had dumped Asami for her, but it did give Korra and Asami one thing to bond over.

They helped each other through it, and when they were both doing well again, they stuck together as friends. Asami kept growing closer to Korra, even beyond what she could call friendship. She felt things that she hadn’t felt since she was in school. When Korra was nearly killed in battle with Zaheer, Asami was willing to throw her life away to take care of Korra. But she never admitted the true extent of her feelings.

“ _I really should thank you, Asami,” Kei-Lin said as she got dressed. She refused to meet Asami’s eyes as she spoke. A sad smile crossed her features. “I… I suppose I needed to try this to know it couldn’t work. I’m just…” Kei-Lin shook her head, turning away. “I have to go.” She wasn’t even fully dressed, but Kei-Lin grabbed her shirt and headed out of Asami’s room, ignoring Asami’s pleas to wait._

A pain in her chest. Heartbreak all over again. Things were better now, though. That was far in her past. She could put it behind herself. She just had to let the river of thoughts move on. It would bring her to Korra. Korra. She could feel Korra. The pain in her chest didn’t go away, though. She shouldn’t be feeling heartbreak any longer. She’d missed Korra for a long while, but Korra had needed the time, and she’d returned a new person. A new person who was closer to Asami than ever before. A person who might love her back, not caring about the fact that they were both women.

The pain in her chest was worse, though. She shouldn’t be afraid of anything. She was going to get through this. There was no reason to feel heartbreak. She just had to get out of here with Korra before they ran out of air.

Air. She was running out of air. Time was running out. Korra must still be asleep. But she’d come this far. The river had brought her to the present. It had to mean something. It had to…

Asami gasped for breath, trying to take in more air to help fill her lungs. It wasn’t doing much good, though. Now that she’d reconnected with the world, she was all too aware of her body. Her head felt light, her fingers were tingling and slightly numb as she felt around for her flashlight, and the pain in her chest was getting worse.

“Korra…” Asami tried to say. Still no sound. She closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from feeling like she’d failed her friend. It wasn’t over yet, but it was close. “Korra… I need your help…” Asami said.

Asami leaned forward, feeling out for her friend’s body. She found Korra’s shoulders with her hands, then leaned forward. She rested her forehead against Korra’s cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut to keep in the tears. She couldn’t lose Korra like this.

Asami tried to calm herself. She was so close. She felt as if her thoughts had been taking her to Korra. There must be some connection there she could communicate through. She just had to find it. Asami tried to steady her breathing, focusing on her friend. She pushed all other thoughts out of her head. She couldn’t let herself worry about running out of air right now.

...There. It was still there, just barely. As soon as she felt it, instinct overtook Asami. Words came out of her mouth before she knew she was speaking. She felt the truth in each word as it slipped out of her mouth, the sound of her voice filling the space between her and Korra.

“I need you, Korra.”

* * *

There was nothing. No sights, no sounds, no feelings. No change, no time.

No Korra.

No need to wait. There wasn’t a Korra here who needed to wait. Maybe she’d come along later and decide to wait, but she wasn’t here now.

“ _...Korra…”_

There was still nothing. Probably. Still no sights. Still no feelings. Probably no sound. Asami couldn’t speak, so Korra hadn’t just heard her voice.

“ _...need… Korra…”_

There was no sound to echo. Nothing to echo off of. No one to hear it.

“ _...I need you, Korra…”_

She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t be hearing that. Korra wasn’t supposed to be here. Asami’s voice… she couldn’t have just heard it. But if she had… and if Asami needed her…

* * *

Light. Asami’s brain had hardly processed the fact that she’d actually heard herself speak when the world filled with light. Asami opened her eyes, finding herself face to face with the awakened Avatar. White light shone from Korra’s eyes. Asami felt Korra’s hands grasp her sides, and the room opened up around them.

The elevator Korra had carved out of earth broke apart in less than a second. Korra pulled Asami in close to her, wrapping one arm around Asami’s waist and thrusting the other arm upward. Rock opened up above them as Korra pushed a massive column of earth skyward. In the seconds it took for Korra to lift it up, Asami’s mind slowly caught up with what was happening. She let herself smile, and tears of relief began to fall from her eyes.

Asami couldn’t even see the light from the surface, but apparently Korra had cleared the way, as she lit twin fires beneath her feet and rapidly propelled the two of them toward the surface. Asami wrapped her arms around Korra, holding on through the rapid ascent. Light suddenly flooded Asami’s vision, and she had to squint to let her eyes adjust. She barely saw anything of this side of the spirit world before she felt Korra slow down, and then carefully touch down on the ground.

As her eyes adjusted, Asami caught sight of Korra carefully replacing the column of earth she’d displaced to free them. Korra’s arm remained around Asami as she did this, and it was only after she’d turned back to Asami that she moved her arm. Korra reached down, taking both of Asami’s hands in hers, and gazed into her friend’s eyes.

Asami looked back at Korra, smiling at her friend. Korra was still in the Avatar state, and so her eyes glowed pure white, but it was still quite obvious that she was gazing directly back at Asami.

“I need you too, Asami,” Korra said.

The light faded from Korra’s eyes, and they fell shut. Her body began to slump toward the ground, but Asami reacted quickly enough to catch her. She tried to shout her friend’s name, but only air left her mouth. Asami pushed that worry aside for now, though. She shifted one arm around Korra’s back to support her friend, and she brought her hand up to check that Korra was still breathing.

Asami let out a sigh as she felt her friend’s breath. She was alive. She just needed more time to recover. And apparently, so did Asami. She’d been able to speak when it truly mattered, though. Even if her voice had left her now, at least she knew now she had it in her.

“Avatar Korra? Are you alright?”

Asami looked up, catching sight of a spirit flying toward her. It had a round, yellow body, with two green leaves on its head. It flapped the leaves as it flew toward her, showing concern in its face as it looked at Korra.

* * *

“I rushed to meet you as soon as I sensed your presence,” the spirit explained to Korra. It had shifted back into its normal form, though it hadn’t yet moved from Korra’s chest. “But when I got to you, you were unconscious, being held in your friend’s arms. She hasn’t been able to say anything, but I think she really cares about you. Her face… it was just indescribable. I… Well, she was definitely worried about you. But I think she was also a bit relieved.”

“Mm… I care about her too,” Korra said, smiling at the spirit. She began to sit up, though a sudden wave of dizziness and headache struck her. She winced and lay back down. “Damn… what happened to me?”

“I think you hit your head on something,” the spirit said. “Your friend pointed to it with a worried expression. Don’t worry, though! There’s a spring not far from here, just up the cliffs nearby, and its water should be able to heal you. Your friend left a bit ago to get water from it. She should be back soon.”

“Ah. Okay,” Korra said. She carefully turned her head to the side, trying to get an idea of where she was right now. The rocks surrounding them reminded her a bit of Hai-Riyo peak, though she didn’t recognize this particular spot. “Hmm…” she looked back up at the spirit, shifting a bit as a thought nagged at her. “Um, do you know why Asami - my friend - didn’t take me to the spring herself?” Korra said. There was probably a good reason. She just needed to hear it to ease her worries.

“Oh. That’s simple. It’s because she can’t fly, and I’m not big enough to carry you,” the spirit said, its leaves flapping as it spoke.

Korra blinked, staring at the spirit in confusion. “Um, you’re gonna have to give me a bit more to go on.”

The spirit was silent for a minute. Eventually, it spoke. “Well, I was showing your friend to the spring, and she was carrying you as she followed me. When I flew up the cliffs near here, she shook her head at me. Since she couldn’t fly, she had to climb. She was able to find a place she could climb up, but she wasn’t able to carry you while she did it. And I can’t carry you at all. So I’m watching over you till she gets back.”

“Oh. Well that makes sense,” Korra said. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Her head was throbbing a bit, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been when she’d tried to sit up. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long until Asami returned. “Hmm… You know, I don’t think I ever thanked you,” she said after a bit. “I really did need your help back before. If you hadn’t guided me to Toph, I might still not have recovered.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” the spirit said. “After what you’ve done for the world, and what happened to you… you deserve help when you need it. I’m just happy I could figure out a way to help you. How many spirits can say they’ve been able to help out the Avatar?”

“Heh… I suppose. Hmm…” Korra opened her eyes up again, looking at the spirit. “I really should have asked you earlier: Do you have a name? I can’t just keep calling you ‘little cutie’ forever.”

The spirit tilted its head to the side. “You can if you want to. I don’t mind. I don’t have any other name, anyway.”

“Hmm… nah, I think you need a name,” Korra said. She looked at the spirit for a moment, trying to think of an idea. She furrowed her brow at the first one that came to her. “Well, Bumi’s giving me bad ideas. My first thought is to name you ‘Korra Junior,’ or Kor-Ju. I don’t think that quite works, though.”

The spirit gazed at Korra for a minute. “I don’t think so either. Especially since I’m a boy, you know.”

Korra blinked. “Right. I… um. I knew that. That’s why I said it didn’t work. So let’s see… Well… you can name yourself if you want, I suppose.”

The spirit tilted his head to the other side now. After a minute, he spoke. “‘Light,’” he said. “I’m a spirit of light, after all. So you can call me ‘Light.’”

A smile crossed Korra’s face. “I like that,” she said. She brought a hand up and stroked Light’s head. “Nice to meet you, Light.”

* * *

Asami searched for a decent place to begin her descent. She’d lost her and Korra’s bags when they escaped from the elevator, and so she didn’t have her climbing gear to rely on now. She had to be careful, especially in her descent, as she wouldn’t be able to see where she was going as easily.

Reaching the spot where she’d initially gotten up to this landing, Asami peered over the cliff. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she could manage. She’d already faced a much harder trial today, after all. A grin crossed Asami’s face as she plotted out the path she planned to take, making sure she had each step memorized before she went down. She needed to be able to do this without sight if needed.

As she got down to the final few steps, her gaze landed on Korra’s body, lying where she’d left her friend, and she caught a glimpse of motion. She paused, squinting her eyes to try to make it out. Her arm. Korra’s arm was definitely moving. She was awake.

Asami closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. Korra’s advice from earlier echoed in her head. Asami had been trapped, but she kept moving forward, and they were finally getting to a better place. The same would happen with her voice. She’d already seen the light once. She’d see it again.

With a smile firmly fixed to her face, Asami turned around and began to climb down the cliff.

_**End of Book One: Command** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who’s left a review along the way with this fic. And thanks in advance for anyone who leaves a review now. -hinthint- I really love hearing back from readers and talking with fellow fans.
> 
> Book Two: Question will be starting next week, as part of this fic as well. I’ve also got a special surprise lined up for Valentine’s Day, so be on the lookout for that as well - follow me if you want to make sure you don’t miss it!


	7. Memories of Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vision from the past returns to haunt Asami.

**Book Two:**  Question

**Chapter 1:**  Memories of Regret

* * *

_**Capital City, Fire Nation, seven years ago…** _

"The question, my son, is 'Why?'" his father said.

Izin hadn't been able to hold his father's gaze as he spoke. He'd never seen so much disappointment in it before. He'd seen a lot of disappointment from his father over the past years, but not like this. His father had always held out a sliver of hope that Izin's bending abilities might develop later on, just as they did for Fire Lord Zuko. But now, on Izin's 16th birthday, even that sliver of hope had been crushed.

Izin shook his head. "I don't know, father. But Sage Tonnu says-"

"Do you think I don't know!?" his father snapped. Izin's eyes shot up, meeting his father's gaze. "'A paradox is just the truth standing on its head to call attention to itself,' right? He's told me that a thousand times as well. Fine. You want to turn this on its head and search for truth? Then let's do it. Sit."

Izin nervously obeyed his father. He took a seat near his father's desk. He didn't speak a word. Saying anything right now could only make things worse. He had to wait until the right moment before he spoke; otherwise, his words would be wasted.

"Let's start with a few known truths," his father said. He pushed himself up from his desk, towering over Izin now. "First: Whenever two benders of the same element have a child, that child will have the ability to bend that element. They may not be very good at it, they may not develop it until their early teens, and they may require much practice to master it, but they will be able to do it. I have heard of no exceptions to this rule, and neither has anyone I've spoken to.

"Second: I am a firebender. Your mother was a firebender. Every one of your older brothers and sisters is a firebender. You are not. This, as Sage Tonnu would say, is the paradox." Izin's father strolled around to the side of his desk. He focused on a tapestry on the wall, which illustrated the family tree as it was at the time of Izin's birth, extending up to his grandparents. "On its own, this would simply be a disappointing novelty. It would be interesting, and perhaps tell us something we don't yet know about bending. But this isn't the whole story. Look at this family tree, Izin. What do you see?"

Izin hardly needed to answer this question. His father had pounded this point into his head so many times that it went without saying. But he said it anyway. It wasn't worth provoking his father any further right now. "I'm your eighth child," he said. "And you're the eighth child of your parents."

"Exactly," his father said, nodding slowly. "The number eight has always been a symbol of good fortune throughout the Fire Nation, but particularly for our family. We were the eighth family to be granted a noble lineage by the original Fire Lord. And throughout our family's history, the eighth child of every set of parents has always been a powerful firebender, even if their parents were both nonbenders.

"You, Izin, are such a child," Izin's father said, turning back to him. "By all rights, you should be a firebender. Not only that, you are the first eighth child of an eighth child in our family's history to have survived infancy, and you were born on the longest day of summer, the one day of the year when more firebenders are born than any on any other day. Your mother and I had so many hopes for you. Your birth should have fated you to be the most powerful firebender in history, if not something more. In my deepest dreams, I imagined you might even turn out to be another Avatar. And if you were, then today, on your 16th birthday, is when I would traditionally tell you of this fact.

"But no!" Izin's father clenched his hand into a fist and pounded it against the wall behind him. The temperature of the room noticeably heated up. "You, Izin, are not the Avatar. You aren't a firebender. You are nothing. There is but one explanation that makes any sense of this. Your mother… who every day professed her love for me, and who to the day of her death never spoke a word that I found out to be a lie… Your mother must have been unfaithful to me.

"In other words, Izin. You are not my son."

Izin closed his eyes. He'd known this was where his father was going. He didn't believe it, though. He could hardly believe his father could believe this. As he'd said, Izin's mother had loved him more profusely. She would never have been unfaithful to him.

"I can't believe that," Izin said. He opened his eyes, looking up to meet his father's gaze. "I'd rather believe the world has a twisted sense of humor, and the eighth child of an eighth child in our family must instead be a nonbender. Or I'd believe the eighth child trend has just been a coincidence, and there's something about inheritance we don't know. I would never doubt my mother, and I can't believe you could!"

"The facts cannot be changed, Izin," his father said. He looked downward, and Izin could feel the room slowly begin to cool back down to a normal temperature. "And the fact is, I can no longer bear to let you live in my house. I will not have it get out that your mother was unfaithful to me, and so you will not speak a word of this conversation to anyone. In return, I will supply funding to let you set up a new life for yourself, anywhere but here."

* * *

"I must apologize, Izin," Tonnu said. His words came out a bit more slowly than usual, and sadness showed in his features. "I truly never expected my words to lead your father to such a conclusion. I meant to guide him to notice the part of you that truly is special and unique, and the ways in which you actually are gifted. I do hope he will someday see the error of his ways."

Izin stared silently at the wall across the room. It had been all he could do stop himself from crying when Tonnu knocked at his door, and he feared if he said much right now, his voice would give him away.

After a minute, Tonnu continued, "Your father came to the wrong answer, but I do believe he was asking the right question. Sometimes the search for an answer is more important than the answer itself." Tonnu walked over to Izin's desk and pulled out the chair. He turned it to face Izin and took a seat. "In your case, Izin, you've been blessed with one of the sharpest minds I've ever seen. If you'd been a firebender, your father would have made you focus your time on training that skill. But without that, you have time for other pursuits. So perhaps this is why."

Izin shook his head. Many possible replies ran through his head, but nothing seemed right. None of this was right. At last, he said simply, "Where should I go?"

"The world is open to you," Tonnu said. "But if you want a recommendation, I would say Republic City. I hear that Future Industries is recruiting some of the best minds the world over to work for them. It could be exactly where you're destined to be."

"Future Industries…" Well, they certainly had a good reputation. Any boat in a storm, as the saying went. Izin closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Why not?"

* * *

_**Now…** _

Hearing a faint sound from the cliff nearby, Korra turned her head toward it. Her face brightened at the sight of Asami working her way downward. She spent a moment simply gazing at her friend. Her mind was hazy on what exactly had happened after they'd met the digging spirit on the other side of the spirit world, but she knew one thing for sure: Asami had been taking care of her since they'd reached the surface. She owed Asami her heartfelt thanks for that.

Although, it was certainly frustrating that Korra couldn't remember exactly what had happened. At least this time she already knew a good way to restore her memory, so they only had to make a brief detour to the Tree of Time to get that resolved. Asami would probably be interested in seeing it anyway. The problem was, Korra still might find a way to screw something up horribly due to her lack of memory in the meantime. Last time she'd lost her memory, she'd accidentally put Mako into a position where he broke Asami's heart. Nothing that bad was likely to happen now, but something still nagged at Korra.

Korra let out a sigh. "Wish I could remember what happened to knock me out like that…" she said, turning back to look up at Light as she spoke. "Maybe I should apologize to Asami when she gets back, just in case. Something tells me I should do that. And anyway, what's the worst that could happen if I do?"

Light tilted his head to the side, and then back. "I don't know… She could call you on the fact that you don't know what you're apologizing for?" The spirit looked back down at Korra, a cheerful expression crossing his face. "It'll be alright, though. There are plenty of ways to figure things out in the spirit world, especially for the Avatar, so I'm sure it won't take you long."

"Well, I'm not sure if being the Avatar still helps as much…" Korra said, furrowing her brow. "I kind of renounced my role as bridge between the two worlds after I left the spirit portals open. So I'm not sure if I'm still as connected to this place as I used to be…"

"Well… then just try it!" Light said. "That's the only way you'll know for sure, right?"

"Hmm…" Korra glanced over toward the cliff Asami was descending. Her friend was being careful and taking her time, so perhaps Korra could do something before she got back.

Although… maybe she should instead earthbend a few steps for Asami to make it easier. Though that would require getting up to do so, which would mean another splitting headache, which might cause her to screw up and hurt Asami. So… not a good idea. She could try it while lying down, but earthbending was all about the stance, so again, there was really too much of a risk of screwing it up.

Korra let out a sigh. There wasn't really that much time, in the end, and she didn't want to be distracted with something when Asami got back. "I'll try later," she said. "Just wish I could remember what happened. I really feel like I screwed up somehow."

"It'll be fine. Asami didn't seem mad at you at-" Light trailed off, and his eyes focused on something behind Korra. "-at all. So, um, you really don't need to regret anything. Though on that note, I think your emotions might still affect this place when they're strong enough."

"Huh?" Out of seemingly nowhere, a raindrop hit Korra's forehead. It was soon followed by another, and they soon picked up into a light rain on her face. She looked upward from Light, finding that the sky above her seemed to have darkened and filled in with a single cloud. Then she remembered where Light had glanced previously. "Is there something behind me?" she asked. It probably still wasn't a good idea to turn her head unless there was something dangerous there. She just had to focus her emotions, calm herself down.

Light nodded. "It looks like… a ripple in the air. I don't see anything in it, though."

Korra gave a slight nod. She closed her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts.  _Happy thoughts. No more rain. No regrets. Things I'm proud of, that's what I need. Um…_  A sound of fierce sobbing came from behind Korra, tearing her out of her thoughts. Even four years later, she still remembered that sound.

It was Bolin. Just days after Korra had agreed to go on a date with him, and had had a great time in the process, she'd had the bright idea to confess her feelings to Mako. And then when she found out Mako seemed to like her as well, she'd kissed him… in front of Bolin, as it turned out. She hadn't meant to do that, but she'd certainly made a mistake in not thinking about his feelings for her and playing things more carefully.

But they'd made up. She'd apologized, and Bolin had forgiven her. She didn't have to keep regretting this. And she certainly didn't need the spirit world digging up reminders of her past like this whenever she got a bit emotional. Now that she knew what was going on here, though, she could work past it.  _Okay… I screwed up. I admit it. But I learned, I apologized, I was forgiven, and I'm trying to be better about that kind of thing now. All four of us - myself, Bolin, Mako, and Asami - we're all doing better than we were then. No need to linger on past mistakes, but it is fine to reflect on them and learn from them._

The rain stopped hitting her face. Smiling, Korra opened her eyes once more. The sky above her had cleared up, and she couldn't sense any other signs that the world around her was acting up.

Korra turned her head to see how close Asami was getting now. Apparently more time had passed than Korra had thought though, as Asami had already reached the base of the cliff. She'd paused on the way over toward Korra, though, and looked put-off by something. Korra privately cursed herself; Asami must have seen that reaction of the spirit world earlier.

"It's alright, Asami," Korra said, smiling at her friend. Judging by the expression on Asami's face, the truth was going to be needed here. Korra swallowed her nervousness and spoke. "The spirit world tends to be affected by my emotions. Avatar thing. And apparently just then it decided I needed to see a memory of Bolin. Nothing to worry about now; I've got it under control."

Asami glanced down at Korra. The explanation seemed to help a little, but she still seemed tense as she walked toward Korra. Once she reached Korra, she mouthed a word, her face inquisitive.

"Umm…" Korra said, shaking her head. She wasn't quite able to make it out.

Asami slowly mouthed the word again. Bolin. That was almost certainly what she was saying. No, not saying - asking.

"Yeah, Bolin…" Korra said. "You saw him, right? Or… at least, heard him? The sobbing sound?"

Asami shook her head slowly. She looked… well, she looked like Korra had felt when she'd initially seen Bolin on that night, four years ago.

* * *

Asami tried to push the image she'd just seen out of her mind. She had to focus on the present. Korra was still lying down, so she still obviously needed help. She knelt down near Korra, and took her canteen from her hip and held it up to her friend.

"Spirit water?" Korra said, glancing at the canteen. Asami nodded at this. "Okay," Korra said. She brought a hand up toward the canteen, then pulled it back, bending the water out from it. She drew it up toward her head, and wrapped the water around it in a circle. The water slowly filled with light, and Korra let out a deep sigh.

Asami smiled at her friend. She shifted closer to Korra and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her worry had never quite gone away until this moment. There was always the lingering thought in her mind that something might happen to Korra while she was away, or that the water wouldn't be enough to heal Korra's injuries. But from the expression on Korra's face now, it was clear that it had worked. Korra was as good as new.

With a half-grin and a grunt, Korra pushed herself up to a sitting position and bent the rest of the water back into Asami's canteen. "Perfect. You're really a life-saver, Asami," she said. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Asami shook her head, though she did smile at this compliment. Korra had saved her as well, so the thanks wasn't really necessary. Though she did return the sentiment that she didn't know what she'd do without Korra. She caught her friend's gaze and smiled softly at her, trying to get this emotion across. Judging by the smile on Korra's face, she seemed to get the message.

"Um…" Korra said after a bit. She glanced away from Asami as she continued. "I should probably let you know… I can't exactly remember what happened to me. Or to us. So, um… Sorry. If an apology is needed. If not, you can save that for later."

Asami blinked. She wanted to protest and say that Korra had nothing to apologize for, but she couldn't get that across easily. She shook her head and brought up a hand, waving it off. Perhaps Korra had gotten a bit overconfident earlier, but she was the one who'd gotten the worst of it. An apology really wasn't needed.

Asami blinked again. Korra's memory. She looked at her friend with concern, and pointed to her own head with raised eyebrows. That was the part they needed to worry about now, not whether Korra had anything to apologize for.

"Oh, um, it's alright," Korra said, shaking her head. "The Tree of Time was able to restore my memories before. I'm sure it can again. Besides, I'm sure you'll want to see it anyway, right?"

Asami wasn't quite as confident as Korra seemed to be, but she gave her friend a nod. Hopefully Korra wasn't missing any memories beyond this incident, in case this didn't work… especially if Korra thought she was still in a relationship with Mako again. That probably wasn't the case, though.

Korra nodded in turn at this. "Perfect," she said. She turned to the spirit who Asami had met earlier, when she and Korra had first arrived on this side of the spirit world. "So, Light," Korra said. "Do you know how we can get to the Tree of Time from here?"

The spirit nodded at Korra. "Of course," it said. "Want me to show you how to get there? It shouldn't take us long at all."

"Yeah. Probably best to do that right away," Korra said. She glanced over at Asami. "Um, you don't mind, do you? I just figure, it'll probably be easier to get my memories back the sooner we do this, so…"

Asami nodded. That made sense. Besides, she wanted to get this resolved as soon as possible as well, just so they had one fewer thing to worry about.

"Alright, perfect," Korra said. She began to push herself up, but then stopped. "Oh, wait. Duh. I forgot, sorry. I should introduce you two. Asami, this is Light. He helped me out back when I was off on my own in the Earth Kingdom and trying to figure things out. And Light, this is Asami. She's…" Korra paused for a moment and glanced over at Asami.

Asami's heart leaped up to her chest, wondering how Korra would describe their relationship. They hadn't really clarified things out loud between each other, though they both did seem to understand that it was more than simply a friendship. But would Korra be comfortable admitting that out loud? Seeing the nervousness in Korra's eyes, Asami reached out to her friend's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Korra caught Asami's gaze for a moment and gave her a smile. She turned back to Light and said, "She's a very special friend of mine, and we're waiting until she can get her voice back to work out the details of that friendship."

Asami smiled at this. She squeezed Korra's hand again to let her friend know that she liked that answer. Hopefully that wouldn't end up taking too long. Of course, if it did, there were other ways to make her intentions clear to Korra.

"I see," Light said. He turned to face Asami, and bowed his head. "Nice to meet you, Asami. Is there anything I can do to help get your voice back?"

Asami nodded at the spirit in greeting, then raised an eyebrow as she thought about his question. Maybe he knew something - perhaps about a spirit that could either cause this type of thing or cure it? She glanced over at Korra, hoping her friend would come to the same idea and ask this question.

"Um…" Korra said. She glanced at Asami, then at the spirit. "Maybe… You know more about the spirit world than I do. We don't really know what caused Asami to lose her voice - it just happened when she woke up. So… Well, if there's anything you know that might help…"

Light was silent for a minute. He sat back, and one of his leaf-ears twitched as he thought. "I don't think I've ever heard of any spirit taking someone's voice away," he said after a while. "Well, not just that. I guess Koh does steal your voice along with your face, but that's obviously not what happened here. But there's probably a spirit somewhere that can grant voices to humans. I just don't know who, or where they might be. Sorry…"

Korra smiled and shook her head. "It's alright. We'll keep asking around. Hopefully some spirit will know something." She reached out and gave the spirit a pat on his head. "Thanks, though."

Light looked up at Korra and smiled. After a moment, his body shimmered, and he transformed into a small white dog. Apparently he was quite enjoying Korra's pats. Asami found her heart warmed by this sight, and she moved over closer to Korra. She placed a hand on Korra's back and gently stroked it. She might not be able to speak, but that wasn't going to stop her from showing her affection.

"Oh, um, one more thing, before we head off," Korra said. "I'm just curious. Light, back when there was that raincloud, you say you saw a ripple in the air. Did you see anything after that? Or hear anything?" Asami's eyes widened a bit at this. Her hand, which had been stroking Korra's back, froze in place as Korra brought up this subject again.

"Nope," Light said, shaking his head a bit.

"Huh, okay," Korra said. She pursed her lips for a moment, and then glanced over at Asami. Her eyes showed just a hint of concern. "I, um… guess you probably saw something different from what I did then, eh Asami?" she said. "I'm… sorry about that. I guess it kind of happens here in the spirit world when I let my emotions get the better of me."

Asami tried to hold Korra's gaze. Her friend had picked up on the fact that that vision had been hard on her. But hearing Korra apologize about it… No. That didn't feel right. Asami closed her eyes and shook her head. Perhaps she needed to explain it all to Korra. But even if she were able to speak, she didn't know where she would have started.

Asami felt Korra's hand reach around her back, and she was soon pulled into an embrace with her friend. Korra rested her head on Asami's shoulder, and she squeezed in tightly with her arms. Slowly, Asami began to relax. Her own arms worked their way around Korra's back and held onto her friend. This was right.

And she would make other things right as well. When this vacation was over, she would at least make sure Izin knew it had worked out. It was the least she owed him, after what she'd done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, and thanks to everyone who's left a review on this fic!
> 
> Just so you know, the plan for this fic is to do two more "Books" of roughly the same length as the first (each with a slightly different tone and theme). So that means around 10 more chapters to go, though we'll see how things turn out.


	8. Weave of Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just what will resurface when Korra tries to recover lost memories?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *collapses* Whew, I was worried for a bit I might not make this update in time, after squeezing in my Valentine's Day special (First Time You Loved Me - go check it out if haven't seen it yet) over the last couple weeks. But I made it! And now I can relax a bit.

**Book Two:**  Question

**Chapter 2:**  Weave of Memories

* * *

_**9,881 years ago...** _

The sun slips below the horizon, consumed by the forest in the distance. The trees cause the last rays of light from the sun to appear as beads along the horizon, winking away one by one. Does that forest have a name? The maps I saw earlier labeled it only as a forest, not at all notable to the generals discussing battle plans. I probably wouldn't be making note of it myself, if it weren't for the sun right now, and the lovely sunset it's gracing me with tonight.

"Beaded Woods." That's it. If it doesn't already have a name, that will be it. Assuming I live to tell someone of it. The forest deserves as much.

The last bead winks out of existence. The sun has set, but the night sky still holds on to the sun's rays, refusing to let go until the sun is too far out of reach. The watchtowers will light their braziers only when the night sky finally gives up on the sun, and the light from them will illuminate the environment even more than the sun's lingering rays do right now. And so - by no design of human, spirit, or nature, but simply by being passed over - twilight is when darkness has its greatest hold over us.

And now twilight is when I will dare approach the darkness. I didn't plan it this way, but the poetry in how it worked out is quite apparent. I close my eyes, letting my mind empty, letting my spirit be as free as the wind. Just for a moment, I let my spirit be as free as it was when I was a child, before I first heard from Wan, before I first learned of the power that lay within me and my ability to shape the world, before I realized how much responsibility came with this power, and before I became tethered to it. Especially now, on what may well be the darkest hour before the darkest day of my life, I will not deny myself this one indulgence.

After what might well be my one last moment of joy before I taint my soul, I let my spirit become tethered to the spirit world. I do not run from the darkness. I seek it out. Although I feared it as a child, Wan taught me that it is of no worry. It is unfortunate that it must be imprisoned in the Tree of Time, which binds the worlds of humans and spirits together, but some things cannot be changed.

My spirit finds itself at the base of the Tree of Time. I can sense the darkness contained within, but I can also sense a faint pulsing of energy. I know this energy is everywhere, but it is always too faint to perceive, except near this tree. It's no wonder that people used to meditate beneath this tree before the spirit world was closed off to them. The energy here would make it easy for even the least spiritual person to reach a meditative state.

I, the Avatar of Raava, can do even more. Even one step removed from my body, meditating at the base of this tree has always allowed me deep insight. I have never been left wanting for an answer when I come to seek it here, even if it isn't the answer I wished to receive. And so once more I sit at its base, closing my eyes, ignoring sounds in my ears, disconnecting my sense of touch, and freeing myself from the remainder of my senses one by one, until only the energy of the universe remains.

And when the energy is all I experience, I can perceive its true nature. The universe unfolds before me. Darkness surrounds me, but it's a beautiful darkness: The tapestry on which all of existence is drawn. The energy dances around me, sometimes taking form as a stray thought crosses my mind, sometimes appearing as blue streaks through the darkness, and sometimes stretching out as a tangled web in front of me.

I speak, letting my words shape the realm in which I find myself. Images appear as I speak, narrating my story for the benefit of whomever or whatever might be listening. "I come seeking wisdom. I am Varina, of the Air Tribe. When Wan, the Avatar of Raava, passed away, the dying embers of his life set flame to my own, and Raava was passed on to me. I follow in his path, but not in his methods. Wan failed to bring peace to the world, and I believe that this is because true peace cannot be a product of force.

"I cannot stop others from engaging in violence, but my whole life, I have foregone it myself. I have tried to lead by example, and many have followed. But now, my followers are seen as weak. They are seen as targets by the armies of Yang Li, who seek them out to steal their possessions, knowing they will face no retribution. If they had not gained the sympathies of the Bal Tuk tribe, who are willing to use violence to defend them, my people would have all perished many months ago.

"But the strength of the Bal Tuk is nearing its end. They can no longer hold out against the siege of their keep. And so, for their sympathies to us, they are likely to perish. I am forced to consider that I may have led my people down the wrong path. Although I believe even Yang Li's armies are deserving of life, when they refuse to grant that consideration to others, does it then become justified to use violence to defend oneself in turn? Even if it results in the taking of a life?

"I have discussed this at length with Wan. He counsels me to fight, but to attempt to avoid killing. Against such a large army, this may be impossible. If I fight, the Bal Tuk and I may win this battle. But it will almost certainly result in the deaths of many, no matter that I might try to avoid it. Such is the nature of violence, and such is why I abhor it. I cannot bear to bring an end to the life of another, but I cannot bear to let such noble people be brought to their own ends either.

"So I ask for wisdom. To anyone or anything that may be here. What should I do?"

The images narrating my words fade away, and I find a circular platform of white light appearing at my feet. Black fills the center of the platform, and white rays begin to shoot around it. After a moment of dancing, they trace the pattern of a sundial. A pale blue silhouette stretches out from me, appearing much like my shadow, aside from the color.

As I watch the silhouette of myself, words come from behind me. I turn, gazing upon a colossal red star in the sky above me, pulsing as it speaks. "Varina, Avatar of Raava, successor of Wan, second of the first cycle, first of Air. You are mistaken." Its voice was neither high- nor low-pitched, neither masculine nor feminine. I can't think of a single word to describe how it actually sounded, in fact. It was simply a voice.

"Mistaken?" I say, addressing the entity before me. Is it a spirit, perhaps? This deep in meditation, I'm unable to sense any spirits, so it's impossible for me to say. It probably is, but it's unlike any spirit I've encountered before. There's something much more primal about this entity. "In what am I mistaken?"

"You equate death with the end," the entity said. "Was Wan's death the end? Wan yet remains, as you well know. Raava remains as well. What has happened is that they have both changed. Raava brought with her a connection to Wan's experience, and Wan has changed in a way beyond the comprehension of humans, but you do know that in some way, his soul has given birth to yours. So why should you think death would be different for others? It is simply a change of state."

I shake my head. "It may well be. But it is an undesirable one. People would prefer to remain alive, to remain as they are, with those they love, and with those who love them. The change that death causes takes this all away."

The entity pulses in the sky. It is silent for a while, as if in thought. Eventually, it begins to speak again. "As you are incapable of understanding what happens in death, so too am I incapable of understanding why humans fear me so. Varina, Avatar of Raava, if you can understand nothing else, understand this: I am Time. I am Change. I am Death. In each moment, your past self dies so that your future self may live. As the army of Yang Li amasses outside the keep in which your body rests, they die each moment and are reborn. If you engage in battle, some will change in a different manner during this battle. If not, this change will come later.

"I am Death, destroyer of all. No matter your actions, all shall change, all shall die, and all shall change once more. You must choose for yourself what manner of change you wish to happen. Tomorrow I will slay the mortal bodies of hundreds of humans when they engage in battle. You must make the choice of who shall perish. Act, and the aggressors shall perish. Do nothing, and the defenders will perish. Do not fear this inevitable death. Use it to enact change. Use it to lead to the world you most desire."

A metallic sound rings out as the entity finishes speaking, accompanied by the entity's shape curling in upon itself. Though as its edges curl inward, its core expands, a yellow sun being birthed from within and pushing its way outward. The red edges pull at the sun, stretching it out, until it finally breaks free. With a blinding yellow light, the sun engulfs the realm, rending me from my meditative state and back into the human world.

* * *

So why am I still here? I look around. Everything is just as it was moments ago. The entity, a furious red orb, hovers in the sky before me. Below me is a circular platform, with white lights tracing out the pattern of a sundial. But no… the sundial isn't just as it was before. The numbers on it have changed to some foreign script. My shadow is gone as well, replaced by three planks of pale blue light, each moving around the platform at different speeds.

Odd, but not oddest thing I've experienced here. Perhaps the blast from the entity simply signaled its intention that it was through conversing, and it was time for me to leave. I turned back to the entity, giving it a polite nod. "I thank you for your wisdom," I say. My heart is heavy as I realize what I must do tomorrow. "If it is within your power, I humbly request that you grant those who may die tomorrow a pleasant passage into whatever may come next."

"Avatar," the entity says, "recall the words I spoke to you earlier. Your soul and the soul of Avatar Varina are tied together by the thread of causality. Your soul will not easily recognize that her memories are not your own, and that these events did not just occur. You must focus. To find your true self, answer this one question: Tell me one thing that happened to you more than a day prior."

I blink, narrowing my eyes at the entity. Its words feel true, but I also cannot shake the feeling that I am, and have been, Varina, Avatar of Raava. But for how long? Was I Varina a day prior? Let me see, then. If I go back in my memory, the most significant event was easy: when Asami joined me on a trip into the spirit world. Joined me: Avatar Korra.

Avatar Korra… who once more has at least one memory from a past life. I grin, looking up at the entity. "It worked!" I say, grinning at the entity above me. "I can't thank you enough! Are there any other memories from my past lives that I can get back as well?"

"It is possible that there are, particularly from the life of Avatar Varina. This was not the only time she meditated beneath the Tree of Time. But it is not safe for you to do so now. The more you experience Avatar Varina's memories, the more difficulty your soul will have telling them apart from your own. If you experience too much of her life, you may not be able to find your own memories again. And so I must counsel you to return only after much time has past, and you have gained many more memories of your own."

I let out a sigh. I hadn't actually been expecting this to work at all. So really, I was just grateful that I got anything out of it. I smiled and nodded at the entity. "Alright. I gotcha. Thanks," I say. "I owe you one."

* * *

_**Now…** _

Korra could feel the pieces coming back into place. First, there was one large piece: Avatar Varina's memory inserted in with her own. Then, the memories she'd lost were filled in, one piece after another. Her decision to tunnel to the other side of the spirit world. Trying to impress Asami with an earthbent elevator. Forgetting about the fact that they were upside-down relative to the rest of the spirit world, so gravity would have to flip at some point. The inevitable chaos when gravity suddenly flipped on them, and Korra's panicked attempt to keep them from getting injured with her airbending, which hadn't quite been enough to prevent her from being knocked unconscious.

And then, a gap. Well, at least that gap wasn't surprising. She had been unconscious, after all. What was surprising was where it picked up. It wasn't with her in the Avatar State, getting them out of the elevator, as she'd guessed - and Asami had confirmed with a nod - had happened. No, the next memory was just before then. Even though she was unconscious when it had happened, she could remember Asami reaching out to her. Asami had been meditating, trying to reach Korra's spirit. And apparently she'd been successful.

But… how did Korra remember that? Then again, Avatar Varina's encounter with the entity in the Tree of Time was much the same. Korra had no direct connection to her past lives anymore, and yet she was able to connect to that memory, and remember it as if it were her own. Perhaps… was it Asami's memory she'd connected to? Asami had been meditating, reaching out desperately to Korra. Korra had been there physically. It might have been enough of a link to allow Korra to latch onto it when she was recovering memories, and bring it in as one of her own.

And if that was possible, then what else might be possible?

Korra let herself reconnect with the world, her lips curling up in a soft grin. She opened her eyes slowly, giving them a chance to adjust to the light. She focused on the blurry form in front of her, and her smile widened just a bit as the image came into focus. Asami was watching over her, with Light perched on her shoulder. "It worked," Korra said. "And then some."

Asami's eyebrows rose. She gave Korra a questioning gaze. Light did much the same, but he was also able to speak. "What do you mean?" he said.

Korra pushed herself up to her feet as she began to speak. Her muscles could use a stretch after meditating for this long. Probably. She wasn't quite sure how long it had been. "The tree was able to help me come back with a couple extra memories as well," she said.

* * *

"That's amazing, Avatar Korra!" Light said once Korra had finished her explanation. Asami wasn't looking at him, but she could feel that he'd shifted into his puppy form again. "You really are an amazing Avatar!"

Korra let out a chuckle and shook her head, though she smiled at the compliment. She reached forward and gave Light a pat on the head. "Couldn't have done it if you hadn't led us here. So thank you, Light. Oh, and thank you, Asami," Korra said, her gaze shifting to Asami. "I was only able to get that memory of when I was unconscious thanks to your efforts. And now that I know I can do that, maybe we can finally get some answers to why you can't speak."

Asami smiled slightly at Korra. Her friend's excitement seemed to have taken hold of her right now, but nervousness still had a grip on Asami. Perhaps she shouldn't have been surprised at this. When she and Korra had touched the trees on the other side of the spirit world, they'd been able to see memories through each other's eyes. So Korra being able to do this wasn't really much of a surprise. But using this ability to find answers now was getting Asami a bit nervous.

" _I choose not to speak."_

Her voicelessness was most likely her own fault, having said those words to get out the dream she'd been trapped in. She'd have to show that memory to Korra. Admitting she'd made a mistake wasn't the part that was getting her nervous, though. She'd have to show Korra the context. The conversation surrounding it. It would make her feelings blatantly clear to Korra.

"Asami?" Korra said. Asami glanced up at her friend's face. Korra's smile had faded, replaced with concern. "Is everything alright?"

Asami gave Korra another weak smile. She pushed herself up to her feet, then reached out and took Korra's hands in her own. After taking a deep breath, she looked into her friend's eyes once more. Korra's affection for her was plain to see. And it was also obvious that she was getting better at reading Asami. Perhaps there wasn't anything in that dream that would be so bad for Korra to see after all. Perhaps there wasn't even anything Korra hadn't already figured out herself.

Asami smiled, genuinely now. She nodded at Korra. Everything was alright.

Korra returned Asami's smile. "Good. Um, so… do you want to try to figure out more now? We can come back here a bit later if you want…"

Asami shook her head, and she pointed down to the floor, trying to speak the word, "Now." There was no reason to delay this. As long as Korra was up to it. Asami chewed on her lip for a moment, then pointed at Korra and raised an eyebrow.

"Um... Sorry," Korra said, furrowing her brow. "Not sure I get it. Something about me?"

Asami pursed her lips, trying to think about how she could ask if Korra was up to doing this right now. Even if she still had her notepad, that wasn't something that was easy to draw a picture of. Asami pointed at Korra again, then gave a thumbs-up, then a thumbs-down, with a questioning expression all the while.

"I think she wants to know if you feel up to it," Light said. He leaped off of Asami's shoulder. He reverted to his normal form mid-air, his ears catching the air to keep him suspended, and now he hovered between Asami and Korra. Asami smiled and nodded at him.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine!" Korra said, glancing from Light to Asami, and giving Asami a grin. "Don't worry, Asami."

Asami eyed Korra for a moment. Knowing Korra, it was possible she was putting on a show of strength just to impress… No. Korra wouldn't do that now. Asami nodded at her. If Korra was good to go, then so was she.

"Alright. Um, sit down with me then," Korra said with a nod. "I think it'll help if we try to do this together." Korra didn't move to sit down just yet though. She pursed her lips together, something seemingly on her mind. "Oh, um, Light?" Korra said, turning to look at the spirit.

"Yes?" The spirit said, tilting his head.

"Well, I was um… going to ask if you'd watch over us," Korra said. She smiled a bit nervously at the spirit. "But it's really pretty safe here. And well, my stomach is starting to feel a bit empty, and there was that grove of fruit trees we passed on the way here, so…" Korra blinked. "I mean, I don't want to keep asking favors of you. If there's anything you need, just let me know, and I'll… what?"

Asami let out a chuckle as Korra suddenly cut off her rambling. Apparently she'd been caught in the act of adoring her friend. She gave Korra a wink, then mimed zipping her lips shut. This earned her an annoyed pout from Korra, though she could see laughter fighting against the pout on her friend's lips.

Light let out a laugh as well. "It's alright, Avatar," he said. "I told you, I'm happy to help." He flapped his leaf-ears, doing a flip in mid-air. "It might take me some time, though. I'll need to make a few trips, so I might only be able to get a few fruits for you by the time you're done."

"That's fine," Korra said, smiling at him. She reached out and patted his head. "Thanks, and wish us luck!"

"Okay, good luck, you two!" Light said. He flew up, pressing himself into Korra's hand for a moment, then twirled off, heading out of the Tree of Time.

Once Light was out of sight, Korra turned back to Asami. She reached out and took Asami's hand in hers again. "Okay," she said. She pressed her lips together and looked up into Asami's eyes. "Tell me the truth, Asami. Or um… nod or shake your head the truth. Are you sure you're comfortable letting me see your memories like this? If there's something… you might be uncomfortable with me learning like this, we don't have to do this. So, just shake your head now, and we'll just tell Light this didn't work, and find another way. I won't ask any questions. Nod, and we'll go ahead."

Asami didn't have to think about this. She simply nodded. She'd already decided this for herself, after all, even if Korra hadn't been privy to that decision. Seeing now that Korra had the same concerns, and had even gone so far as to come up with an excuse to get them some time alone so she could voice them, just solidified Asami's decision that she could trust Korra. There were certainly some memories that it would be awkward if Korra were to see them, but… it would be worth it. If she could have her voice back, and be able to explain it all, and finally confess her feelings to Korra, it would be worth it.

"Alright," Korra said, grinning at Asami. "Um, as I said before, let's sit down, do this together."

Asami nodded once more. She followed Korra's lead, and sat cross-legged in front of her friend. She was expecting Korra to take her standard meditative pose, but instead Korra reached her hands out to Asami. Raising an eyebrow, Asami placed her hands in Korra's.

"This will help keep us connected," Korra said, in response to Asami's quizzical gaze.

Asami had a feeling that Korra was probably making this up as she went along, but she wasn't going to argue. Well, she wouldn't have done so even if she could have. Korra had a good track record for improvisation, after all.

"Okay, close your eyes," Korra said. "Try to empty your mind, and just feel the energy of the universe, which this tree helps connect us to. I'll do the hard part. You can just try to guide me. Focus on the question of why this happened, of why you can't speak now."

Asami nodded, and she closed her eyes. She'd been able to get somewhere with meditation before, though it had taken her some time. This time, though, it seemed to come much easier. Almost as soon as she'd closed her eyes, she could feel her mind wanting to empty out. The tree made it easier somehow. It gave her mind room to expand. And so she let go, hanging on to just the question "Why?"

* * *

Meditating here was easy. Korra was able to connect to the universe's energy within moments of closing her eyes. The problem was, there was so much of it. She needed to find the right path. She needed to connect with Asami, to enter her friend's memories.

Korra soon found herself suspended in space again. There wasn't any platform beneath her this time, however. Rather, she was surrounded by a web of glowing white threads. Out of curiosity, she reached out and pinched one of the threads. An image flashed in her mind: Naga roaring at Tahno, scaring him off from when he was trying to provoke Korra. So these threads were probably all connected to her memories then. That wasn't the one she wanted, though.

Another thread. The first time Korra managed to heal someone with her waterbending. Another. Korra hung over the southern spirit portal, entering the Avatar state in order to open it. Another! ...Nothing. The thread resisted Korra's attempts to grab onto it. Clearing her mind, Korra let herself slip into the Avatar state for just a moment, giving her the power she needed to push through and take hold of that thread. Her arm shot outward, lightning extending from the tips of her fingers.

Korra pulled her hand back. No, she hadn't just done that. But she'd never lightningbent before. Had she just seen into her own future? She shook her head. Maybe. That wasn't what she was here for, and it could cause more trouble that it was worth if she learned too much about it, anyway. She needed to figure out a way to connect with Asami, and she wasn't getting anywhere randomly pulling at threads.

Focus. One moment. Korra held Asami's face in her mind, trying to focus on a key moment with her friend. Something powerful enough she could use as a bridge. The spirit portal. Looking into Asami's eyes as they crossed over. That was it. When Korra saw something in Asami's eyes… when she saw Asami looking back at her, with the same gaze. That moment. She would always remember that moment. She could find it from anywhere.

A golden glow appeared off to Korra's left. Smiling, she reached outward, taking the glowing thread in her hand. The memory filled her mind, but Korra didn't let it pass. She let it envelop her. She fell into the memory, reliving it once more, reaching out to Asami with all her heart.

_It was simple. I saw my future in her eyes._

Korra felt Asami tug on her hand, and she was suddenly falling. Asami disappeared, as did the golden glow around them. Only Korra remained, finding herself on the other side of the spirit portal, falling slowly toward the ground.

No, not alone. She faced her reflection. She wasn't sure quite what was reflecting her image back, though. Or was it anything at all? Was it just her mind showing her what her subconscious thought she needed to see right now? As she came to this realization, the reflection faded away, revealing the person behind it: Kuvira.

The world blinked. For a moment, Asami caught a glimpse of Izin where Kuvira had been. His eyes fell closed, and his head bowed down. The world blinked again.

"What happened?" Kuvira said. Her eyes hadn't quite reconnected with the world yet. They slowly managed to focus on Korra as she spoke. "Are we… dead?"

Korra knew the words. But they weren't what she spoke. Instead, the voice of Avatar Varina came from her lips. "Dead? You die every moment. But right now, more than most. It's time for you to die, Kuvira, and be reborn. I can't promise the rest of the world will let you have much of a life, but perhaps it can at least be a more noble one from now forward, even if you can only exercise that nobility by accepting your punishment."

The world blinked.

Izin shook his head. Wait… was this Izin? No, Asami didn't know his name yet. The man shook his head. "It won't be enough. It's never enough." He closed his eyes again. "But it's something. At least it's the right thing, this time."

Asami narrowed her gaze, tensing up just a bit. "'Enough'... You sound like you want to atone for something. Did you… do something to hurt Korra?"

The man shook his head again. "No. Maybe I even helped her, in a way. But it wasn't for her sake. I need to do something to atone because… I hated the Avatar. I hated the concept of her. That she could get so much power, while others had none…" He opened his eyes, turning slowly to face Asami. "I hated her for something she had no control over… but she's the last person to deserve such hate.

"I was wrong. Her powers don't define her. Her choices do. She chose to sacrifice everything, time and time again. Maybe I didn't harm her. But I'm still going to try to make up for it, somehow. You have my word on that."

 _Asami?_  A voice deep within Asami's mind spoke out.  _Why are we here? Who is this?_

 _That's… not going to be easy to answer,_  part of Asami replied. Dread began to fill the back of her mind. She'd been pushing this away, but she had to be here for a reason.  _I think he might be part of the reason I can't speak now._  Even now, Korra probably couldn't hear those thoughts. Maybe Asami could find a way to show her, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Don't worry, answers will come eventually. ;)


	9. Change of Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra dives into Asami's memories, searching for a reason why Asami's lost her voice. But why are they so far in the past?

**Book Two:**  Question

**Chapter 3:**  Change of Heart

* * *

_**Sixteen months ago, Asami Sato's memories…** _

Why?

Asami stared at the letter. She recognized her father's handwriting easily, but he'd made sure she would know it was from him anyway by adding his name to the return address. For once, he was being upfront with her about something. It was far too late for that, though.

Why had he sent this letter, though? It was a question Asami could probably answer simply by opening and reading it, but curiosity wasn't worth opening up a wound that was still healing. For all she knew, her father had decided it was time to try to convince her of his Equalist ideals once more, or perhaps he had something even worse to say.

No. It wasn't worth it. Asami shook her head. She picked up the letter from her desk, and headed to her filing cabinet. She found an unused file near the back and tucked it in, not even bothering to label it. She put it away: out of sight, out of mind. Except, not entirely out of mind.

Asami placed the palm of her hand against the wall. She closed her eyes as she leaned over, letting out a sigh. If only Korra were here. She could really use someone to talk to right now. Without Korra around, there really wasn't anyone she felt comfortable opening up to. At least, not as much. She was beginning to get a bit more comfortable with Opal, ever since she'd agreed to help Asami with testing her idea for a suit that airbenders could use for flight, but Asami still didn't feel comfortable going to her for something like this.

Asami shook her head. She needed Korra. If Korra couldn't be here in person, then she'd go with the next best thing.

* * *

Sometimes in her life, Asami didn't know what was driving her until events had fully played out. The renovations of Republic City Park were such an occasion. When the contract had come up for bids, Cabbage Corp had bid for it at a rate that they must have thought Future Industries couldn't hope to match. Indeed, they couldn't. No matter how Asami worked the numbers, there was no way they could have turned a profit at that rate. And yet, she'd gone and underbid Cabbage Corp anyway, and they'd done the renovations at a loss.

She'd told her shareholders to trust her. She had a plan to use it for goodwill. As it turned out, she did. She just didn't realize until she was laying out the plans for the park that the goodwill she'd had in mind wasn't for Future Industries; it was for Korra. There was a space in the park allocated for a "monument," without any specifics defined in the contract. It was only when Asami had gotten to this part of the planning that she'd realized what her subconscious had been helping her work towards.

It was beyond time for the people of the people of Republic City to appreciate all that Korra had done for them. And so Asami had laid out the plans for a monument to Korra, reminding the city of the Avatar who'd saved them three times over, being prepared to give up every part of herself to do so. Just in case anyone didn't get the message, she'd made sure to have the base of the statue inscribed, paying tribute to Korra's victories over Amon, Unalaq, and the Red Lotus, and thanking her for what she'd had to suffer through each time.

Asami had erected the statue for the Korra, and for the people of Republic City. At least, so she told herself. Perhaps she'd done it for herself, too. Right now, when she found herself with a Korra-shaped hole in her heart, she found herself gravitating to this statue. Simply seeing it helped put her mind at ease, just a little. Whatever Korra was doing right now, Asami knew she was working to get better, so she could eventually return to Republic City and look over them, just like this stone version of her did.

Some time here would do Asami good. She wandered around the park for a bit, never straying too far from the statue. Eventually, she ended up taking a seat on a stone bench not far from it. She leaned back, trying to clear her mind of the letter from earlier.

The park was rather busy today, although at least Asami was spared anyone recognizing her today. The statue of Korra even seemed to be attracting a fair bit of attention. It wasn't often Asami got a chance to gauge just how much of an effect it might actually be having on people, so she decided to make the most of this opportunity. It would be a good distraction, if nothing else.

Asami looked around, taking note of people who passed by the statue. A group of people were lined up on a series of mats near the statue, practicing what could have been earthbending stances, though none of them were paying any attention to the statue itself. What looked like a mother and daughter came up to the statue and looked up, though it wasn't long before the daughter ran off and the mother followed. A couple of young kids climbed on the base of the statue, though they didn't seem to care much about the fact that it was of Korra. A man came by walking his ferret-dog, and the ferret-dog seemed to show a fair bit of interest in the statue. Something told Asami it wasn't really appreciating it, though.

It took a while before Asami noticed anyone reading the inscriptions on the base of the statue. A man, probably just a couple years her senior, dressed in red and black clothing, had approached the statue, and was staring intently at one of the inscriptions on its base. Asami was pretty sure she'd seen him earlier, sitting on another bench nearby. The statue must have piqued his curiosity.

Asami smiled a bit as she watched the man. After a minute, he moved from one inscription to another. So people were indeed reading what she'd had written about Korra. Good. Maybe it would only affect a few people directly, but hopefully their improved opinion of her would trickle out to the rest of Republic City over time.

The man moved to the final inscription, and after a few more minutes, he walked back to the bench he'd been at earlier. Asami tried to keep her eyes focused in front of her so he wouldn't notice he was watching her, though she still paid attention to him. He didn't seem to sit down at that bench, though. Instead, he moved off. After a moment, Asami leaned back so that she could catch sight of him again.

Something was off about the way he was walking. He was heading away now, so Asami could be a bit more daring with looking over at him. Yes, something was definitely off. If she had to describe it, she'd go with… "shaken." He was shaken. A moment of worry hit Asami. Had she made some mistake with the inscriptions? Had they been vandalised, perhaps?

Asami got up, dashing over to the statue of Korra. She circled the statue once, inspecting each inscription in turn. Nothing was amiss. Perhaps she hadn't thought through how this might affect people, then. She'd have to talk to that man, figure out what it was that had shaken him about this.

Asami looked up, trying to catch sight of him again. Unfortunately, he'd gone out of sight while she was inspecting the statue. With a sigh, Asami ran back to the bench he'd been at before, taking a moment to look around. He'd been heading away from her, so that would have taken him toward the grove of trees nearby. That was probably it. That could have taken him out of her sight, so he could easily be there now.

Walking quickly, but not so quickly that it might appear suspicious to him, Asami headed toward the grove. She slowed down a bit as she reached the trees, and she was soon able to pick out some footprints that looked recent. Following them, she soon caught sight of a red sleeve, just beyond the base of a tree.

Stepping slowly, Asami moved until the man was in full view. Apparently he was even more shaken than he'd let on when he was in public. He was sitting on the ground at the base of the tree, his face buried in his hands. Asami couldn't help but wince at the sight of this. She didn't know what had caused this, but part of her felt responsible. And as awkward as the situation was, she couldn't walk away.

He hadn't noticed her yet, so Asami spent a moment trying to find the right words. In the end, she decided to keep it simple. "Excuse me," she said, trying to keep her voice soft. "Is everything alright?"

The man was silent for a moment. He seemed to tense up just a bit. "I'm fine," he said eventually, though he didn't look up. His voice was stiff. It was an obvious lie. "Don't worry about me." He was probably hoping Asami would just move on, and leave him until he recovered. The alternative would probably mean opening himself up to a complete stranger.

But he'd come here alone. And he'd let himself get this broken up before heading off home, or to see anyone else. Perhaps he didn't have anyone else he could open up to. Or maybe that was just Asami projecting her own situation onto him. Well, it was still possible. Korra certainly wouldn't give up on someone who needed help like this, and neither would Asami.

Asami took a seat beside from the man. "And what if I decide to worry about you?" she said. "Can I do that?"

The man took a breath. "Fine," he said. After a minute, he adjusted his position. He rested his forehead against his arms, still hiding his face from Asami. "Can't really… explain very well right now…"

"It's alright," Asami said. "I can wait." She'd taken the rest of the day off from work, in case she needed it to deal with her father's letter. Well, at least this had pushed that out of her mind.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, the man looked up. He leaned his head back against the tree behind him, giving Asami her first clear view of his face. In a way, he reminded her of Bolin. He had a similar build, though he was a few years older, and his hair was a few inches longer and a fair bit less groomed.

His eyes were where he differed most from Bolin, though perhaps part of that was just situational. Even though he was looking away from Asami right now, she could see the pain in his eyes, and the evidence that he'd likely been crying recently. There was something a bit odd about his eyes, though Asami couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. They seemed unusually sharp, his gaze and emotions almost too easy to read. But again, perhaps that was the situation, and how strong his

After a few more moments, the man spoke. "I can't help but hate myself right now," he said. "Maybe I can blame my father for some of it, but…" he shook his head. "I have to take responsibility at some point. Now's as good a time as any. I blinded myself, and I could have ended up doing some horrible… well, no, not 'doing'... aiding? Enabling? Enabling. I could have enabled some horrible things if things had played out just a bit differently. Or maybe not. I don't know. But I deserve hate for it anyway. And the worst part is, if what those inscriptions say is true… if the Avatar knew me, she probably wouldn't even hate me."

Asami looked at the man, wondering what he might have been involved in. In Republic City over his lifetime, it could really have been anything. A lot of good people had gotten tangled up in bad things just to survive - Mako and Bolin came to mind. They'd been involved with the Triple Threats in order to survive on the streets, but they'd moved beyond it. Whatever this man had been involved in, perhaps it wasn't too late for him either. That is, assuming he was genuine, and that he wasn't leaving anything out right now.

Right now, Asami decided she'd give him the benefit of the doubt. "You're right," she said. "Hate isn't her way. She might have come close to hating Amon, but that wasn't what drove her to oppose him." Asami paused for a moment. Going on along these lines probably wouldn't help. He didn't need to hear about how Korra would have no reason to wish him ill. She needed to get him out of his own past. "Hate doesn't have to be your way, either. There's always time to make a change moving forward. We can't change the past. We simply have to accept it, and try to move on. If you feel you need to, then you can try to do better things in the future to make up for anything you think you've done wrong in the past… especially if there's anyone you actually have harmed."

"I can, but… The Avatar..." The man let out a deep sigh. "I have to do something. I  _will_  do something. Even if I never meet her, I will. But…" He shook his head. "It won't be enough. It's never enough." He closed his eyes again. "But it's something. At least it's the right thing, this time."

Asami narrowed her gaze, tensing up just a bit. Mentioning the Avatar in this context, after she'd mentioned the possibility that there might be someone he'd actually harmed… "'Enough'... You sound like you want to atone for something. Did you… do something to hurt Korra?" That might be harder for her to forgive personally, if that was the case. She might be able to, but it was certainly going to be harder for him.

The man shook his head again. "No. Maybe I even helped her, in a way. But it wasn't for her sake. I need to do something to atone because… I hated the Avatar. I hated the concept of her. That she could get so much power, while others had none…" He opened his eyes, turning slowly to face Asami. His gaze didn't quite meet hers; it fell just below Asami's eyes. "I hated her for something she had no control over… but she's the last person to deserve such hate.

"I was wrong. Her powers don't define her. Her choices do. She chose to sacrifice everything, time and time again. Maybe I didn't harm her. But I'm still going to try to make up for it, somehow. You have my word on that." The man's eyes shifted up as he said this, finally meeting Asami's gaze. His eyes seemed to lock firmly onto Asami's. There was no way he wasn't telling the truth.

"I'll take your word," Asami said. She smiled slightly at the man. She held her hand out to him. "Though I'll be able to hold you to it better if I have your name."

The man's expression seemed to relax, just a little, as he reached out and took Asami's hand. "Izin O-," he said, though he cut himself off. He shook his head slightly before he continued, "Just Izin. No family name. Not anymore." Asami raised an eyebrow at this, but she didn't inquire further. His past was his own business. If he wanted to put it behind him, she wasn't going to push him for details.

"Asami Sato," she said in reply, widening her smile. "It's nice to meet you, Izin."

Izin's expression shifted as she spoke her name, recognition spreading through his features. "'Sato'... You're…"

Asami was about to cut him off and tell him not to worry about that, but the hairs on the back of her neck had stood up for some reason. She was sensing danger. She glanced at Izin first, but there was nothing in his posture to indicate he was in any way a threat to her. And his eyes were almost apologetic right now. So, no, not him. Something else… she could hear something, but just barely. A yell. A man with a deep voice, perhaps calling out for help, perhaps trying to warn people.

"Later!" Asami said sharply, quickly pulling back from Izin and standing up. A scream came behind her, and she turned around. She strained her ears to hear more, but she was only able to make out one word: "airbender." Whatever was going on, it was serious. "I'll handle this. Sorry, Izin," Asami said, glancing back at the man just before she dashed off in the direction of the scream.

* * *

The world slows down around me. Instead of the trees moving past me as I dash off toward the cry for help, they slowly spread into a blur. The brown from their trunks, the green of their leaves, and blue of the sky behind them all blend together. Patches of the scene mix together, like different colors of paint mixing on a canvas. Eventually, it all comes to a halt, and I take a step out of Asami's body.

"Alright, I think I get it now," I say, turning back toward Asami.

Asami is frozen in place mid-stride, though not blurred-out like the surroundings. I give her a moment to respond, but I see nothing obvious from her. I can feel something, though. We're still connected. I've simply stepped outside for a moment, so I can express my own thoughts without being overwhelmed by her memories. Perhaps if there's some way she can respond, she'll do so. But for now, I'll simply speak my own piece to her.

"This is… an entry point," I say. "A way to let me in to your memories. I was expecting to see a memory I was in… perhaps when you were meditating back in the elevator underground and were trying to reach out to me. But maybe this makes more sense. My mind was brought back to how I felt reaching out to Kuvira, showing her compassion, and trying to help her move forward as a new person. And then you brought me over to a significant point in your life, when you did the same for someone else."

I take a moment to look around the scene, considering it. Maybe the details are different in the two memories, and maybe Izin's crimes were more in his head than anywhere else, but the core theme seems to be the same. Death of the old self, and birth of the new. Wait… was this why I saw that particular memory of Avatar Varina's, even? Maybe the entity in the tree knew I was going to try this, and so it chose that memory to show me.

I turn back to Asami and nod slowly, then smile at her. Nothing changes in her body physically, but somehow I know she's watching me, listening to me. "Um… one more thing, before I forget. I probably should thank you for what you've done here. I didn't realize you'd been doing so much for me while I was away. And… I'm also sorry I couldn't have been here for you when you needed me. I know! I know what you'd say: I don't need to apologize for anything. But I feel like it, okay? I'm sorry, Asami. I won't leave you for that long again. I promise."

Warmth fills the air around me as I speak these words. I close my eyes, letting the warmth envelop me. It seems Asami can respond after all. Perfect.

"Alright, Asami," I say, smiling in response to her ethereal embrace. "You know better than I do what might be relevant. Show me where - or when - we should go next."

Around me, the blurred-out trees begin to sharpen once more. Asami's body begins to move, resuming her run. This memory again? Was there something else here that was relevant? I don't have much time to think about it, though. The world is about to snap back into focus, and I can't risk losing contact with Asami. I reach out to Asami, wrapping my hand around her wrist, and I let go of myself. My body fades into a mist, and my consciousness seeps into Asami's mind, taking a backseat. As always, I'll trust her to drive me where I need to go.

* * *

_**Sixteen months ago, Future Industries R &D Facility, Republic City...** _

"What do you mean Miss Sato isn't in?" Bumi said, gazing at the secretary in disbelief. "She said today was finally going to be the day I got to try out one of those wingsuits Opal's been raving about!"

"Er… I'm sorry, Admir- I mean, Mr. Bumi, er, sir…" the secretary said, stammering. Bumi almost felt sorry for the poor man. Almost. "Miss Sato had a personal emergency come up, and she had to cancel all her engagements this afternoon. We tried to get in contact with you, but…"

"Cancel? Doesn't she know how to delegate her duties?" Bumi said. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot as loudly as he could, looking around the foyer. This was turning into a waste of a day. Maybe it wasn't a waste yet, though.

"Well, she does, sir, it's just, this is one of her personal projects, and she insisted that she be there personally…"

Bumi's head snapped back, his eyes focusing on the secretary. "Well, she was the one who decided not to be there! Her decision - not mine!" Bumi leaned forward, placing his palms on the desk and bringing his face to within inches of the secretary's. "So here's what we're going to do: You're going to show me where the suit is she was going to let me use, and I'm going to test it out. As you said, she decided not to be here, so she's changed her mind about being here personally, right?"

"Er, well…" The secretary said, nervously trying to back away from Bumi.

"Hey," Bumi said. He cocked a confident grin, then pulled back and crossed his arms. "Trust me on this. I'll take full responsibility if something goes wrong."

The secretary gulped. "Um, let me call up one of the engineers…" he said, his hand reaching out blindly for his phone. "Just to… make sure everything's ready for your test."

* * *

_**Sixteen months ago, Asami Sato's memories…** _

The yelling became more clear as Asami cleared the trees. A woman was running through the park, warning about a falling airbender who was headed toward the area. Most people were packing up and running away as they heard this, out of a very legitimate concern of not being hit in a crash landing, though a few seemed to be trying to spot the airbender before they did so. At least they were getting away eventually, though. That was probably the smart move: get themselves out of danger if they couldn't do anything to help.

When Asami had been a child, she'd had that same instinct in the face of danger, but it had been trained out of her. A lifetime of self-defense courses had taught her to face danger head-on, and so she found herself running toward the source of danger now, looking for a way to help. The job of warning people was already being handled by the woman running through the park - apparently she was the same sort as Asami, and she ran toward danger as well, either by natural instinct or through her own training.

So, spreading the warning was being taken care of. That left Asami with the task of finding a way to save the airbender. She didn't have much time, so she had couldn't waste a moment. If they were falling, then their flight stick must have been damaged, and there must not be any other airbenders around who could help support them. Depending on how bad the damage was, they might be able to slow their fall somewhat, but it might not be enough to save them.

There were two options: Slow their descent, or cushion their landing. If there was time, try to do both. For the landing, there was a pond nearby. It wasn't very deep, but it might be something. "Waterbender!" Asami called out, almost before her mind had fully processed her idea. She looked at the people milling around and running past. "Is anyone around a waterbender?" Asami turned her head quickly, looking for any indication that someone might be. Nothing. If there were an airbender here, they would have been able to help already. A firebender was no good. "...Earthbender? What about an earthbender?"

"Um…" Asami's head turned, and she caught sight of a girl running by, slowing in her step. "I… well…" she said, coming to a stop.

"You can do this," Asami said, nodding at the girl. The girl seemed to be a couple years younger than Asami, so she might well be inexperienced or untrained. But it was an emergency, so Asami wasn't going to express her worries. She had to pass on her confidence to the girl. "Here's the plan. We need to figure out where the airbender is going to crash, and then you can earthbend a pile of soil, dirt, any soft earth you can find nearby, for them to crash into. Alright?"

The girl took a breath. "Okay. I can do that," she said.

Asami smiled at her. She reached out and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, then looked up into the sky, trying to see if she could spot the airbender. That was one half of the plan, done as best as she could. Was there any way she could help slow the airbender's descent? If she could get airborne herself, there were ways, but that wasn't going to happen soon enough. If a trained metalbender were around, they might be able to help out when the airbender was close enough, grabbing onto them and pushing back during the end of their descent. But if there were any nearby, they would have responded when Asami asked for an earthbender. What did that leave?

A flash of light came from Asami's left. She turned her head, catching sight of someone firebending, shooting blasts of fire at… blankets? She caught sight of the airbender in the sky, above the firebender, closer to the ground than she was comfortable with, and with that realization, figuring out what the firebender was up to took a backseat to getting to the airbender in time. "Come!" she said the the earthbending girl as she ran off toward the firebender.

As Asami ran toward him, she caught sight of the firebender shooting a series of blasts at one of the blankets, pushing it up into the air. It wasn't catching fire, thankfully; it might have been one of the mats being used earlier by the people practicing earthbending forms - Asami was pretty sure they always used nonflammable mats. Just as Asami reached the firebender, she caught sight of the airbender - now clearly a rather large one - grabbing hold of the airborne mat with one hand and pulling it toward himself.

"It'll help," came a man's voice from Asami's left side. "But not enough. Someone grab on to this, anchor yourself if you can!"

Asami's body moved ahead of her conscious mind. She noticed a mat held out before, and she grabbed on to the end of it. "Earthbender, anchor my feet to the ground!" she said, hoping the girl had managed to keep up with her.

Time seemed to slow, giving Asami a chance to notice everything at once. To her right, a massive airbender was headed almost directly towards her. To her left, the firebender she'd noticed earlier was waving at the airbender, directing him toward the mat Asami was helping hold up as he got out of the way himself. Behind Asami, the girl she'd met earlier caught up with her, and she felt earth grow out, enveloping her feet. She held on to the mat as firmly as she could, refusing to let go. It might well be the airbender's lifeline.

Asami's eyes rose, finally catching sight of the man holding onto the other end of the mat: Izin. Apparently he'd also been cursed with the instinct to run toward danger. And he didn't have the benefit of an earthbender to anchor him down right now. From his sentence earlier, it was possible he had something of his own to hold him down, but from the way he seemed to be lifting off the ground now…

Like a rubber band which had been stretched out, time seemed to suddenly snap back to full speed. The wind lifted Izin off the ground, pulling him and his end of the mat up just as the airbender crashed into the middle of it. Asami somehow managed to maintain her grip on the mat, though Izin wasn't so lucky. At some point in the chaos, he got flung loose, hitting the ground just a moment after the airbender did and rolling a good ways away before he came to a stop.

Asami tried to move her feet, but they were still anchored down. She glanced to the firebender off to her left and spoke, "Try to find a healer. Tell people we need help here!" The firebender nodded, and he quickly ran off.

A moment later, Asami felt the earth around her feet open up. "Are they… are they alright?" the earthbending girl asked from behind her.

A groan came from the ground in front of Asami. A moment later, a gruff voice spoke. "...Would it be the wrong time to say that I think your wingsuit design still needs a little work?"

Asami grit her teeth. That answered one question. Well, more than one question. "Yes. Yes it would," she said. She stepped over Bumi, deciding it was best to ignore him for now. She could deal with his idiocy later. After a couple steps, Asami turned back to the girl and said, "Watch over him. Try not to let him doing anything stupid. Anything else stupid, that is."

* * *

The world begins to break apart. I feel a rift opening beneath my feet, and I instinctively hop over to the side, leaving Asami's body once more in the process. As I look back, Asami's body is wiped away by the shifting scene, only to appear up ahead, kneeling over Izin. The breaks in the world seem to be radiating out from her new position, though they soon fade away. A series of dark blue lines cutting through the ground are all that remains of this transition.

The lines focus on Asami, but I hardly need them to know that she's what matters here. I step toward her, looking down at her and Izin. I kneel beside Asami, trying to see if the man is okay. Time is frozen again, though, which makes it hard to tell. If this were anything but a memory, I'd be using my waterbending right now to try and heal him. But there's not really anything I can do except watch and hope for the best.

The world begins to move around me again. Just as before, slices split apart, wiping away the scene and shifting us to the future. In a matter of moments, I find myself in a frozen scene in a medical facility, with Izin being tended to by a waterbender and Asami watching over him. I let out a sigh of relief. He's alive, at least.

Though, as I see that he's alright, something begins to bother me. For the moment when I'd worried that he might have died here, I could understand why Asami was showing me the rest of this scene. But if he was alright, then it wasn't quite as clear why this memory was relevant. There had to be something I was missing here.

"Asami?" I say, pushing myself up to my feet and looking over at her still form. "Mind cluing me in a bit? Why are you showing this to me? What does it have to do with you losing your voice?"

Asami's body doesn't move, though my eye catches sight of a screen appearing in mid-air across from me. I move around Asami to see the screen better, and I catch a series of images appearing on it. No sound comes out from it, but I get the idea from the scenes: Asami, Izin, Opal, and Bumi discussing something in a warehouse, with Asami looking quite angry with Bumi. Asami working on her electrified glove - the new model, the one I saw her use after I returned from my recovery. Opal testing out a wingsuit under Asami's supervision, telling her something which seems to be making Asami a bit flustered. Izin waiting at a table in a fancy restaurant. Asami sits down across from him, and they begin to talk.

A date? They went on a date? I blink, my heart catching in my chest. But… maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions. Something in Izin's expression doesn't look right. He nods slowly, then Asami reaches out her hand to take his. She gives it a squeeze, then gets up. Without even eating dinner, she leaves him.

As soon as Asami turns her back on Izin, the scene freezes, and the screen shatters. The pieces of it fall to the floor one by one. The final piece suspended in the air shows only Asami's lips. Unlike the other pieces, it doesn't fall to the ground. It remains suspended for another moment, and then folds in on itself.

"So… Something that happened with Izin…" I say. I feel like perhaps I should smile at the revelation - a little "aha!" moment - but my expression seems to be fixed firmly in neutral. After a while, I close my eyes, drop my head, and let out a sigh. "Damn it, Asami," I say, wishing she could simply explain. Something about the scene was pulling out my own emotions, but it isn't worth fighting it. "I wish I could hear your voice again. Not just in a memory. Not just from within your own head."

Part of me was hoping this might prompt a miracle to occur, but no sound was coming. After a moment, though, I do hear steps approaching me from behind. A smile slowly tugs at my lips, just before I feel Asami's arms wrap around me. I find myself leaning back, pressing myself against Asami's body. With a couple more deep breaths, I manage to center myself.

"Alright, Asami," I say. "What's next?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering, the story's around halfway through right now. Thanks for everyone following along. I hope you enjoy. Please do drop a review if you have any comments, compliments, criticism, or random poetry for me! ;)


	10. Mark of Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami learns more about Izin's past, and Korra discovers a possible clue to Asami's loss of speech.

**Book Two:**  Question

**Chapter 4:** Mark of Humanity

* * *

Light came to a landing in the tree, placing the piece of fruit he'd picked down amongst the others. It was getting to be quite the pile now. His plan had been to continue to pick fruit until he came back and found that the Avatar and her friend had finished their meditation, but he already had a pretty good meal here for them. This would probably be enough.

Shifting into the white puppy form that the Avatar seemed to adore so much, Light walked over to the two of them and sat down near their legs. He spent a moment looking at each of their faces in turn, wondering how they were doing. In meditation like this, no emotions showed through at all, so it was probably useless to try to glean anything from their expressions.

After a minute of watching over them, Light felt the instincts of the form he'd taken on begin to pull at him. Deciding not to resist, he hopped up onto Korra's lap, lay down, and curled up. He made sure he had a good view of the entrance to the tree, just in case anyone else came by. If this was going to take a while, he might as well get comfortable. Thankfully, the Avatar's lap was quite good for that.

* * *

_**Sixteen months ago, Asami Sato's memories…** _

_Dear Korra,_

_It's taken some time, but I think the people of Republic City are starting to realize just all that you've done for them. I talked to a couple people today, just to take a not-quite-random sample, and you came off quite positively in both of their eyes. I'll make sure to keep spreading the word. You can trust that I won't rest until your approval rating in Republic City is higher than mine._

_Um… Not that I'm bragging about the recent 86% rating I got from my shareholders. I'm just saying: 87% is our target for you._

_Unfortunately, while my wingsuit design is working great for Opal, Bumi's first test flight was… Well, let's just say it was unauthorized and he's lucky to be alive. I'll chew him out once he's fully recovered._

_I really do miss you, Korra. I just don't have any friends as close as you here, though at least Opal and I are beginning to get a bit closer. Perhaps I'll be able to make some other friends as well. You'd better come back soon though, if you don't want someone to overtake you as my best friend! ...Heh, as if I'd actually let that happen. Just say the word Korra, and I'll come running for you - even after all this time, you still come first for me._

_I hope everything is going alright for you at the South Pole. If it isn't, you can let me know, okay?_

_Sincerely,_

_Asami Sato_

Asami let out a sigh. For some reason, this letter was a bit harder to write than the last one. Usually this came easily to her. But right now, she found herself watching her words, trying to make sure she didn't accidentally slip up and say something that might sound like she was guilting Korra into replying. Perhaps the time apart was getting to her. She didn't want to drift apart from Korra, but her friend's silence was more worrying with every passing month.

She would keep writing though. If it wasn't helping, Korra could just ignore her letters. If it was, then Korra would have her letters to read. She would bear that weight for Korra. That was the promise she'd made to herself, and she intended to keep it. It was just that… perhaps it might be a bit better for her own sanity if she stopped expecting a reply. Maybe that was the right lesson here.

Maybe. She wasn't ready to give up quite yet, though. With a nod, Asami folded up the letter she'd written. It was about time for her meeting.

* * *

"How familiar are you with how the Equalists' electrified gloves worked?" Izin asked. Despite the fact that he'd come into the meeting room with a briefcase, he hardly looked professional. Part of it was that his left arm was in a cast, but there was also the fact that his hair seemed to be even wilder than Bumi's normally was. As Asami pondered this, Izin lifted up his briefcase and placed it on the conference table. After opening the combination lock on it, he pulled out a binder of notes.

"Intimately, I'd say," Asami replied. "I've kept one around for self-defense, and I've had to repair it on more than one occasion. So I know how they work." She approached the table, watching as Izin opened up his binder. She had to admit, this wasn't at all what she was expecting when Izin had asked to meet with her, saying he had something for her. She'd already rehearsed a way to delicately evade his advances without hurting his feelings if he turned up with a bouquet of flowers or box of chocolates as thanks for talking to him earlier when he was down. She hadn't rehearsed what to say if he came with a locked briefcase full of notes.

"Okay, so we can skip the basics," Izin said. "What I wanted to talk to you about is that type of capacitor it uses. It's sub-optimal by design - by my design." Izin focused his gaze on the notes in front of him, and he took a deep breath. "I've got everything you need here to optimize it - along with the capacitors used in the radios you produce, which suffer from the same flaw. It's yours. I did the work while under the pay of Future Industries, so by all rights, you own it."

"Hold on," Asami said. She was still trying to adjust to what was going on here, and she wasn't sure she'd heard all of that correctly. She placed the palm of her hand on the table and turned to face Izin. "You worked for Future Industries?"

Izin turned to her. "...Yes," he said, with a stiff nod. "Up until a couple years ago, with the rebellion." His eyes didn't quite meet Asami's gaze, but they were still quite easy to read. There was definitely something awkward there.

"Alright," Asami said with a nod. So, back when her father ran the company, then. For a moment, she pondered whether or not she wanted to get more into the details behind this. She glanced over at the notes Izin had laid out on the desk. Sub-optimal by design, he'd said. Eventually, Asami let out a sigh. "...Okay, tell me the whole story."

Beside her, Asami heard Izin take a deep breath. "The whole story? That… could take a while."

Asami shook her head, and she waved a hand at him. "I'll clear my schedule if I have to."

* * *

I pull away. The scene isn't pausing on its own like before, but once I start to pull myself out from Asami, the world does seem to grind to an awkward halt around us. I step away from Asami's body, taking a moment to center myself and remember who I am.

After a moment of concentrating on myself, I turn back to Asami and say, "Sorry Asami. I just need to make sure I don't get too lost in your memories. When I was in Avatar Varina's memories earlier, I actually thought I was her for a bit after coming out of them. It's a bit easier here, since you aren't a past life of mine like she was, but it's still a good idea to play it safe."

Plus, this gives me a good opportunity to reflect on what I'd seen, and try to piece together some of the clues I'd gotten so far. I'm going to get more on Izin's story soon enough, so there isn't much point speculating on that. No, what I'm curious about is what he meant to Asami. There was one moment where I thought I felt something from her. Just when she'd realized he hadn't come to see her with romantic intentions, there was something almost like disappointment in the back of her mind.

Asami was planning to turn him down, but she was disappointed for a moment that he didn't ask. Logically, it didn't make much sense. But logic wasn't behind it. I let out a sigh. I find myself turning away from Asami, pacing for a few moments. Maybe it was indeed a date I'd seen her go on with Izin in the vision before. It didn't look like it had gotten past the starting line, though. And she'd never mentioned him in any of her letters, or since I'd gotten back.

If Asami is showing me these memories, she must think they have something to do with why she's lost her voice. I have no idea how, though. But still, it's worth seeing it through. The part that worries me is what Asami might end up feeling. I don't exactly relish the thought of living through Asami developing feelings for a guy, and then the possible heartbreak of however it ends. I do owe it to her, though. For one thing, there was that memory of me kissing Mako I'd accidentally dragged her into. That had to have been far more awkward for her than this would be for me.

With that in mind, I nod. I turn back to Asami. "Alright," I say. "I'll trust that you know what you're showing me here, and that this is important. Just understand, this is a bit awkward for me, so I may need to pull out again."

The world around me slowly begins to move again. Taking the hint, I step back toward Asami. I reach my hand out to her, once more joining her for the ride.

* * *

Izin took a sip of his tea. "Mm… thanks, that helps," he said. He gave Asami an awkward smile. He'd protested when she'd offered to get him some tea, but he'd eventually given in. Apparently he wasn't very used to speaking for long periods like this, as it hadn't taken very long before Asami could hear his voice beginning to get a bit scratchy.

"It's no problem," Asami said. She took a seat across from Izin, and put her own teacup down on the table between them. "Let me take a guess at where this is going: Your father exiled you because you weren't a bender, and you come to Republic City in search of a new life. You end up working for my father, who at the time was running a massive secret supply operation for the Equalists. With your revelation today that-" Asami cut herself off. Just for a moment, she'd seen a flash of distress in Izin's eyes. She wasn't quite sure what had caused it, but it was probably better that she stop talking. "Well, never mind. I'll let you tell the story," she said, trying not to let on that she'd spotted anything amiss.

"Alright," Izin said. He took a breath, possibly to steady himself, and then he resumed his story. "I got a job in research here, but I ended up rather bored with it. I started to work on other ideas of mine in my spare time, sounding off ideas against other people there on occasion. I ended up with a string of four papers that I managed to get published the third year I was working here; they caused a bit of a thing.

"Your father got interested in my paper on generating electricity from light, and before I knew it, I was in his office, being given a big speech about pulling oneself up from nowhere to achieve greatness with a kind benefactor. I was pretty sure he was going to offer me a promotion – and he did – but that only came after he did some subtle digging about my politics. I ended up over-sharing with him, not really knowing anything about the Equalists myself, and before I knew it, I was in deep with them."

Asami nodded. It wasn't hard to see that coming, after he'd brought up his involvement with the Equalist gloves earlier. She took a sip of her tea as she waited for him to continue, but he seemed to have stopped for now. "Well, from what you tell me of your history, I suppose I can't really blame you for being sympathetic to their cause… at least at that point," Asami said. She held her tongue on trying to convince him away from them; she wasn't sure how necessary that would be now. From her experience with him before, how he definitely seemed to regret his past, and the fact that he'd now told her he'd done something to ensure the Equalist gloves were sub-optimal, it was likely he'd already started walking away from them on his own. She was still a bit wary, just in case there was something bad she hadn't heard yet, though at this point she wasn't really expecting something like that to come up.

"At that point," Izin repeated. His gaze turned downward. "And right up until two years ago. The Revelation." Izin paused. His fingers played with the rim of his teacup for a few seconds. "...I know you were at the heart of the counter-revolution," he said at last, "but did you ever see it in person? When Amon took someone's bending away?"

"...Just once," Asami said. "Tahno, in the pro-bending arena." Even two years later, it was hard to get that image out of her mind. "I was seated in the VIP section when Amon did it. I can still remember the way Tahno pled with him." Asami found her own gaze dropping down as she spoke, and her own fingers began to play with her teacup. "I can't pretend Tahno was a nice person, but he never deserved anything like that. In one moment, I saw him stripped of the skill he'd spent his life refining, which he made his living off of. When he collapsed… I have to admit, for a moment, it felt like he'd been killed."

"A public 'execution.' Just to make a point. Tahno was just the poor soul chosen as a sacrifice," Izin said, his voice heavy. "Us Equalists got our own public execution to show off Amon's power a bit earlier: Lightning Bolt Zolt, the leader of the Triple Threats. A man with far fewer redeeming qualities than Tahno, but also one who defined himself around his bending. If I'd had the heart of a true Equalist, I'd have cheered at seeing him stripped of it. But I was horrified."

Asami looked back up at Izin. His gaze was still buried in his tea, though his eyes reflected memories of that night. She knew that Korra had witnessed the Revelation as well, though she'd never talked about it with her. She must have been horrified in much the same way when she'd seen it. And yet, she'd fought back, knowing the risk she was taking. Even when the worst had happened to her, and she actually did lose her bending, Korra hadn't given up, and so she'd managed to win in the end.

Asami grinned slightly at this memory. Even at a distance, perhaps Korra could spread a bit more inspiration. From what she'd seen of Izin before, he might still need a confidence booster, and a better way to reframe his view of the world. "But you didn't give in to fear, did you? You did something to fight back in your own way, with the gloves. Perhaps it even helped turned the tide against the Equalists. What was it you did, exactly?"

"In short? I lied my ass off," Izin said, cracking a half grin. His eyes glanced back up at Asami. "I was in charge of finding ways to improve the capacitors used in the Equalists gloves, to make them more compact with the same capacitance. I could do the math on my own, though. Either this would cut costs and make gloves more lightweight and easier to wield, or it would let them pile more capacitors onto a single glove, making it possible to deliver a fatal shock.

"Neither was something I wanted to let happen. After seeing what Amon was willing to do, I knew an Equalist victory would just be leading us into tyranny. We might be on top in the new regime, but it wasn't a price worth paying. And so I worked overtime, making it look like I was trying everything possible to help out, when I was actually spending the extra time rerunning any experiment that showed positive results so that I could sabotage the second run and make it look like a failure. In the end, with the hours I was working, Mr. Sato just thought I was working myself to death to find a solution for him, and he never suspected I was working against him the whole time."

"You went through all that?" Asami said. "I'm surprised you didn't simply quit, so they couldn't benefit from you."

Izin shook his head. "No. The stuff I was working on was easy. Anyone in my position could have run the same tests. They might have been a bit less efficient at it, or tried a few different things, but they would have been able to help. Staying where I was was the only way." Izin leaned back in his chair. After a moment, he let out a sigh. "Anyway, you have the real results now. I… guess I really have no good excuse for not coming clean right after the revolution. I just wanted nothing more to do with Future Industries.

"But I guess even that wasn't to be. The universe doesn't play dice with us," Izin's gaze finally met Asami's again. A quiet confidence had reappeared in his expression. It was the same confidence she'd seen briefly when he was helping save Bumi. "There was a reason I was born a nonbender to a family of firebenders. I'm starting to figure out what that one is. And there was a reason I was in Avatar Korra Park the same day you were, and I'm not talking about the simple fact that I was waiting for a date who never showed up. I may not know what that reason is yet, but I'm going to make it a good one.

"So," Izin raised his teacup up. His eyes met Asami's, a strange expression in his gaze. "I want to thank you, Miss Sato. The universe may not bring us together again, but once has been enough for a lifetime. It's been a pleasure meeting you. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me." Izin brought his teacup back to his mouth, finishing it off. He placed it back down on the table in front of him, and moved to get up.

"Wait. One moment," Asami said, standing up. She gave Izin a smile, trying to pull him back into the conversation before he ran off. "If you'd like to come back to work for Future Industries, I'm sure we could find a suitable job for you." As she spoke, Asami strolled toward the door, making sure Izin couldn't easily get to it without moving around her. She wasn't blocking him from leaving; she was simply trying to discourage it.

"That's alright," Izin said, shaking his head. He stood up, though he didn't move to leave quite yet. "I've got a good job at the patent office. It pays enough, the hours are good, and I've finally got enough free time on the job to figure out a problem that's been nagging at me."

Asami was about to raise her offer, but that might be getting a bit too blatant. Instead, she simply smiled. The patent office. She could work with that. "Alright. In that case, I'll wish you the best of luck with solving this problem of yours."

Izin returned her smile. "Thank you, Miss Sato," he said.

"Asami."

Izin let out a brief chuckle. He stepped toward her and reached out his hand. Asami took it, returning his handshake. "Thank you, Asami," he said.

After Izin departed, Asami returned to her office. She headed to her desk and sat down behind it, letting out a sigh. It was probably time to get back to work now. She reached down to pull her out her schedule for the day to see if there was anything planned soon that she had to worry about. As she pulled it out though, her eyes fell upon a folded letter in front of her.

Korra.

Asami reached for the letter. It was alright, she hadn't-

* * *

An explosion of blue filled the world. I feel myself moving, though I have no idea in which direction. Unlike the previous times I was pulled out of Asami's memories, there isn't even a single moment in which I still wonder if I might be her. I'm the Avatar Korra, and I'm being forcibly ejected.

"Asami!" I cry out, reaching forward, though I don't even know if forward is the right direction - all I can see is blue, all around me. This can't be what she wants, can it? "Are you there? Give me a sign if you can hear me - anything!"

* * *

-actually done anything with Izin. She hadn't invited him on a date. She might have briefly felt something, and she might not have closed the door on any possibility with him, as perhaps she should have, but she'd done nothing wrong. There was no reason for Asami to feel guilty.

* * *

Black lines shoot through the space around me. It's a bit too delayed to be a response from Asami, but it must still mean something. One line traces out a small circle around my feet, and then another traces a triangle around it. A second circle is traced out, surrounding the triangle and touching its tips, and when it completes, the line begins to trace out small triangles around its edge. I count them up as they're formed - any small piece of information might be useful here - counting sixteen in total before the line returns to its origin.

The blue outside the pattern breaks away, replaced with black, and the circle beneath my feet tints white. Something tells me I should recognize this pattern. I've seen it before, somewhere, but I can't pull up the memory. Was it in a past life? Is that why I can't recall it?

Maybe it's just a memory of a memory, but I might still be able to get something. There's no time to waste if I want to get back to help out Asami, and so I sit down, assuming my meditative pose. In her memory, Avatar Varina was able to meditate even when she was already projecting herself into the spirit world. Perhaps I could do the same here, and meditate to find this answer somewhere inside of me. I press my fists together, close my eyes, and let me mind drift wherever it might need to go.

* * *

It wasn't even as if she and Korra were actually in a relationship of any sort. She had no idea if Korra returned her feelings, or if she even could. It was easily possible that Korra simply wasn't interested in women. It would probably be easier for Asami to brace for that possibility, so that it didn't catch her off-guard again, like it had with Kei-Lin so many years ago. That revelation had shattered Asami, and she couldn't bear to let that happen with Korra.

Asami let out a groan, and she leaned back in her chair. Logically, she had nothing to feel guilty about. That didn't stop her from feeling guilty, however. "I suppose I'm in too deep…" she muttered to herself, shaking her head. Well, her heart was set. At least an unrequited love for the Avatar was far from the least productive emotion she could be feeling. She just had to be ready to accept that it might never be returned.

* * *

Blue fills my vision. I can feel chi moving upward through my body, concentrating in the back of my throat. The blue coalesces into a shape around me, reminding me of the outermost petals of a lotus flower. Inside the petals, a symbol is etched: a downward-pointing triangle surrounding the full moon. A symbol of truth.

Wan's voice pierces through the darkness. "You have now unblocked the chakras of earth, water, fire, and air, Vrihnu," he says, "the four elements. These chakras are present in all living creatures. It is the final three chakras that are unique to humans, and so they are the most difficult to unblock. But I have faith in you. I was able to do this, and so I trust that you will be able to do so as well.

"Of the final three chakras, the first is the sound chakra. This chakra deals with truth, and it is what gives humans their voices, to allow them to share truths of the world with one another. It is blocked by lies, but most greatly by the lies we tell ourselves. In order to unblock it, you must find this lie, and you must admit the truth to yourself."

A lie to myself. Even as I begin to consider this, the world around me begins to shake. I consider exiting meditation this moment; if I'm lying to myself, I have a very good reason for it. But if I give up now, I'll be sealing off my access to Raava's power. Perhaps it is a sacrifice I can make, though.

But it is not a sacrifice worthy of the Avatar of Raava. It would be a selfish sacrifice. I must speak my truth, even if it leads Wan to abandon me. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what I must do. "Wan," I say. "Moments ago, you addressed me as 'Vrihnu.' The name my parents gave me at birth. When they saw me, they saw someone befitting of that name. But they did not look inside my soul. You've seen inside my soul, Wan, more than anyone else, but still you only see Vrihnu.

"The truth is, Wan, we are both lying to ourselves. My soul was born from yours, into the body of a boy. This is what everyone saw. But this is not the truth. My body may never represent my truth, but I can admit it to myself, and I can let my name represent it. …'Varina.' Woman, in all but body. That is the truth."

As if water bursting through a dam, the blue light around me explodes upward. My chi is released, free to flow through the fifth chakra. There's no going back. Even if Wan cannot accept it, I do not regret this admission. The flowing energy is all the proof I need that I'm finally telling myself the truth at long last.

Moments pass by, without word from Wan, but at last, he speaks. "Well done. You have opened the sound chakra, Varina." Even though I cannot see him, I can sense the smile in his voice.

* * *

The world flickers around me, but the scene doesn't shift as I expect it to. "Wan?" I say. I give it a minute, but no response is forthcoming. Perhaps this is something I need to do on my own, then. This might be some form of test that I must pass in order to unlock the sixth chakra.

Perhaps, though… just one moment to relax. The final two chakras can hardly be more significant than this one to me. The road ahead may be difficult, and I don't know how many people will accept me as I am, but I would rather fail to convince people of the truth than convince them of a lie.

Alright. I should move on. I'll proceed on the assumption that I must figure this next chakra out on my own. Wan told me that the final three chakras are unique to humans, and are the most difficult to unblock. The difficulty would fit in with having to do this one on my own. Perhaps I must discern what else is unique to humans, in order to identify this chakra and unblock it.

Communication was first. Perhaps wisdom? Culture? Art? No, culture and art are too constructed; they aren't innate. Culture comes down to communication, art to creativity or inspiration. If the next chakra is creativity, then having to find my own solution to unblock it would make sense. So, what blocks creativity? Complacency perhaps. An unwillingness to explore that which is new.

And at this moment, being complacent is exactly what I've been doing. I haven't moved on to the next chakra; I've been waiting patiently at the last one. I stand up, then tilt my head back and look upwards. Each chakra was higher in my body than the last, so I should rise up to find the next. I reach my hand up to the sky, willing myself to rise to the next chakra, to open it up and allow my chi to flow further.

I begin to rise, but something is weighing me down. I look downward, trying to discern what it is. I see nothing but the sound chakra beneath me, and it continues to shrink as I pull away from it. Yet something still pulls me back. Only when the chakra has shrunk to the size of my fist does the force pulling me back take form. A red haze coalesces in the darkness behind the chakra. The haze slowly takes the form of a human body, and the chakra moves to its proper place in the throat.

Images flash in the background of the body and quickly shatter. The first two are gone almost too quickly for my mind to take in; all I can see is a boy and a girl in the first, and two girls in the second. The energy flowing through the chakra pulses with the appearance of each image, and the hazy figure winces as if in pain as each image shatters.

The third and fourth images show a young woman and man. The young woman looks familiar to me. I've seen her before. Asami Sato. I don't know how I know her, but I know her. And the young man she's with is named Mako. She speaks to him. The energy flows through the chakra. The image shatters, and the figure winces. The fourth image repeats this cycle, and once more I see the pattern of energy flowing through the sound chakra, followed by pain in the hazy figure.

Another image appears: Asami is with a brown-skinned woman of about her age, someone else familiar to me - perhaps even more familiar than Asami. At the sight of this woman, I feel something trying to draw me out of myself and into her, but I resist it. I finally made my claim to being Varina, and I'm not going to give it up so easily. Even if it means having the body of a woman, this woman isn't me. I won't lose myself to her.

After a moment, the threat of losing myself passes, and I look back at the hazy figure. The energy flowing through the chakra is restrained, and I never see the pulse of energy like before. Nor do I see the image shatter. Instead, it pulls away, until it's enveloped by the darkness and can no longer be seen.

The scene is stable for a long while. I realize that I never actually stopped trying to ascend away from this, and so I stop myself. Whatever is going on here, it must mean something, even if I don't understand it quite yet.

At last, another image appears, showing Asami a few years older, looking hesitantly at a man dressed in red and black, with piercing eyes. Her energy is still hesitant, and once more the image begins to move away. I see a sudden burst of energy flow through the chakra before the image has departed. Almost immediately, the image shatters, and the figure doubles over in pain. From where the image was, I see a pale red ghost of the man Asami was with in it. He too is in pain, even worse than that of the hazy red figure below me.

But from somewhere, an image of the brown-skinned woman from before has reappeared. Slowly, the pain is eased, and the figure relaxes. Her sound chakra is blocking much of the energy trying to flow through it, though. No pulse of energy, but no images shattering, and no pain.

"I choose not to speak," comes a voice echoing through the darkness. Asami. It's Asami's voice.

Something about the sound of her voice resonates in my mind. It's been so long since I've heard it. The sound of it was exactly what I needed right now to remind myself of what I came here for. I'm here to help Asami find her voice once more. But who am I? I'm the Avatar. This is beyond doubt - but which Avatar? Not Vrihnu… but not Varina either. I used to be her, in some sense at least, and her identity was real. I don't have to throw it away. I can let it be part of my own truth.

But right now, I'm Korra, and my friend needs my help. I flip my body, extending my hands toward the red figure and dive toward it. Hopefully it's not too late to get back to Asami's memories, to see the rest of the story she's trying to tell me.

I still have no idea what we might be able to do to help Asami, but at least now I've got an idea where the problem is. "Trust me, Asami," I say just before I reach the hazy red figure, hoping she might be able to hear me, if my instincts are right and this is indeed her. "We'll figure this out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Another long chapter, but perhaps this one actually answered more questions than it raised, for once. Hope you all enjoyed, and I'd love it if you'd drop a review and let me know what you think!


	11. Hand of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami's memories reach a climax. Will it finally explain her loss of voice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for emotional chapter ahead. That's all I'll say.

**Book Two:**  Question

**Chapter 5:**  Hand of Fate

* * *

 

_**Thirteen months ago, Asami Sato's memories…** _

"Yaaahoooooo…!" came a cry from Bumi as he flew toward the observing station. Asami grinned, relieved that he'd finally been able to lift off successfully with the wingsuit. Although… he was ignoring her directions to land immediately if he managed to take off. As he passed the station, she could hear him yell, "Look at me now, Dad! Bet you never thought I'd be flying li- wha-agh!"

Asami winced as she witnessed Bumi suddenly pulling up, turning into a corkscrew, and crashing headfirst into the ground. She was tempted to drop her face into her palm at this. There was a reason, after all, that she'd told him to land if he did get airborne - he'd only gotten a basic overview of how to handle anything that might go wrong once he was in the air. The idea was to keep him at low speeds at first while he learned the skills, so Opal would be in range to catch him if anything went wrong.

Though really, it was Bumi. Asami probably had herself to blame for not seeing this coming. She let out a groan. At least this time she had a healer on call, for just this sort of eventuality.

* * *

 

"I'm really sorry Asami," Bumi said, looking over at her with an apologetic smile as the healer worked on his shoulder. The apology was actually surprising enough to catch Asami off-guard and help defuse her frustration with him, though part of that was her suspicion that this wasn't actually Bumi in front of her. She exchanged a surprised glance with Opal at this, then turned back to Bumi as he continued. "But I swear, if that tornado hadn't appeared when it did, I would have been able to make it out without a scratch. This suit really is something else." Okay, it was Bumi.

"A… tornado. On a clear day, without a cloud in sight," Izin said. He narrowed his gaze, staring at Bumi for a moment, then looking over at Asami. "Do you have some other invention in the works that can create tornados? I think they call this burying the lede."

Asami shook her head. She'd forgotten that Izin wasn't very experienced with Bumi yet. "No. Just the wingsuits today. Bumi has a… creative memory."

"Creative memory?" Bumi said. He nearly stood up, but the healer quickly put his hand on Bumi's good shoulder and held him down. "Everything was going great! I was flying like a bird, then suddenly I spin out of control! How do you explain that if not a tornado?"

"Well, I couldn't see you from where I was," Opal said, crossing her arms, "which, by the way, was why we told you to start off slow - but it might have been your form. At that speed, you have to keep the right form to remain stable."

"The right form?" Bumi said. As he replied, Asami caught sight of Izin heading over to a nearby desk and pulling out some paper. He began to work at something while Bumi continued. Asami followed Izin, curious about what he was up to right now. He seemed purposeful in his movements, so this wasn't just busywork he was occupying himself with. Behind her, she heard Bumi and Opal discuss flying forms, but she wasn't giving it much attention.

Izin seemed to notice that Asami was watching him. "Just an example," he said, glancing briefly back at her. He took a couple sheets of paper, and quickly folded them into a pair of identical paper airplanes. He then grabbed a paperclip and attached it to the nose of one of the planes, then turned back to Bumi and Opal. "Let me show you," he said, once there was a break in the discussion.

Bumi looked over at Izin, and his eyes shot between the airplanes and Izin's face. "With those?" Asami found herself nodding, even though Bumi wasn't looking at her. It was actually quite a good idea for showing basic flight principles.

"Yeah. Stability is all about balance," Izin said. He moved up beside Bumi and showed the planes to him. "You want to have your center of mass as far forward as you can, with as much wing area behind it as possible. This way, when you're moving forward, the wind mostly hits the wings behind the center of mass, and it keeps it pointed in the same direction. It's the same way a weather vane works. So look at these. Which of these planes do you think will fly better?"

"Hmm…" Bumi eyed the two planes. He brought up his hand to rotate each of them in Izin's grip. "Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say the paperclip is just weighing that one down. But I like the look in your eyes, and I didn't get where I am without knowing when I'm out of my league. I'm betting you wouldn't be showing this to me if you didn't expect the one with the clip to fly better."

Izin nodded. "Well let's see then," he said. He looked back up, and Asami moved out of the way to make sure he had a good place to throw along the length of the room. One after another, he tossed the two planes, using a quick, nearly identical throw for each. The one without the clip soon flew off its path, hitting the wall off to the right of where Izin had been aiming, but the one with the clip managed to keep true, hitting the far wall in front of him before dropping to the floor.

"Huh, amazing… wouldn't have called it if I hadn't seen it…" Bumi said. Asami glanced over at Opal, who seemed to have a relieved expression on her face at this. Perhaps now Bumi would be a bit more receptive to her tips on flight form.

Izin shrugged. "Eh, that's simple. If you want to see something cool, I'll show you how to make one that'll return to you when you throw it, without any airbending."

"Well, that might be 'cool,'" Asami said. She moved over beside Bumi's chair. She turned her head to look at Izin, her hair flipping out of her face as she turned. "But what if I insist on seeing something that you consider amazing? What would you have in store for us then?"

Opal gave Asami an odd look, but she didn't say anything on it before Izin began to speak. "Amazing?" He said. He considered this for a moment, and then a smirk crossed his face. "You've already seen it: gravity. What's amazing is how much people just take it for granted and never really think about." Izin paused, then shook his head. "Though I don't think I really have time to get into it all here. I really should be getting back to the office, after all, now that I've seen the wingsuit in action and confirmed it works as designed."

Asami's face gave a slight pout before she caught herself, though thankfully Izin had already turned away to collect his briefcase, and so he didn't notice it. "Another time then," she said.

Izin turned back, his briefcase in hand, and he nodded at Asami. "Another time," he said. He didn't move to leave just yet, though. He seemed to be considering something for a minute, and then he tilted his head and said, "Though you might have to make it soon. I got offered a position at a university back in the Fire Nation, so I'm not going to be around here much longer. You may have to start requesting a different patent clerk."

Asami's eyes widened. "Oh." She blinked, quickly reminding herself of just what the situation was. "Well, I should congratulate you, then," she said with a smile. She reached her hand out to him. "I hope you do well there."

"Thank you," Izin said, smiling back at Asami. He stepped forward and shook her hand, then turned to Opal and Bumi, nodding at each of them. "Best of luck to you two, and try to keep the crashing to a minimum."

"Hah, don't worry about me, I've taken much worse!" Bumi said, a wide grin crossing his face. "Just watch out for yourself. I've seen tiger-dillos in the Fire Nation the size of volcanoes. Trust me, you can't take those things lightly."

Izin raised an eyebrow, but he didn't have a chance to reply to this before Opal cut in, stepping between him and Bumi. "Right. In any case, I'm sure you'll do well there." She gave Izin a polite bow, smiling at him. "Good luck in your new job!"

Izin nodded at Opal, then turned and nodded at Asami one more time before heading off. For just a moment, his eyes caught hers, and seemed to linger, but the moment passed, and he was gone.

* * *

 

"Asami, can I ask you something?" Opal said. "Something personal, I mean."

"Hmm?" Asami glanced up briefly at Opal, only partly paying attention right now. Most of her mind was focused on going over Opal's wingsuit, which she'd spread out on her desk now to inspect. The clasps on it were beginning to show signs of wear already. She'd need to come up with a more durable solution; if they failed at the wrong moment, it could lead to real trouble.

"Let's say I hypothetically knew that Izin would say 'yes' if you asked him out on a date," Opal said. "Would you ask him out?"

Asami blinked. She probably hadn't heard that right, though she was hard-pressed to think of what else Opal might have said. "Um… excuse me?" she said, turning away from the wingsuit to face Opal.

"Don't try to hide it," Opal said, narrowing her gaze just slightly. "I saw the hairflip earlier today. Problem is, Izin's as bad at picking up signals as he is at sending them out. Trust me though, he'll agree if you ask."

Asami furrowed her brow. "Okay, putting aside for the moment the fact that he just told us he's going to be moving away, what makes you say that?" she said. After looking at Opal for a moment, she quickly turned back to the wingsuit, trying to focus on it for a moment, or at least look like she was focusing on it. Perhaps it would have been better to put a quick end to this conversation, but it was a bit late for that now.

"I talked with him," Opal said. "After you introduced me to him a couple weeks ago, when you brought him to the estate with the paper-thin excuse of getting Bumi to apologize to him for the incident in the park, I went out for lunch with him a few times. So, I found out a few things."

Letting out a sigh, Asami leaned back in her chair. She wasn't actually making any progress with the wingsuit. It wasn't worth the effort of trying to work during this discussion, or to pretend she wasn't interested. "Alright," she said, looking back over at Opal. "In any case, he hasn't said anything to me, and he's going to be leaving soon anyway. So… thanks for letting me know, I guess."

Opal's gaze softened. Apparently Asami wasn't doing a very good job of hiding her discomfort right now. "Okay. I just wanted to let you know. If you get it off to a decent start, a long-distance relationship can survive. It's worked for Bolin and me so far. It's up to you. I just don't want you two to miss out on something because neither of you makes the first move. And well… you're a good person. You deserve to be happy."

Asami smiled a bit at this. "Thanks, Opal," she said. She glanced away, thinking back over her interactions with Izin. She hadn't noticed any indications that he was interested in her, although Opal had mentioned that he was bad at sending out signals. It was a bit hard to believe that he was actually interested in her, from what she'd seen. "Not that I'm committing to anything," she said - and she certainly wasn't - "but if you're so certain he'd say yes, mind explaining why he hasn't made any moves himself?"

Opal was silent for a minute, but she eventually let out a breath. "I don't know if it's really my place to say…" she said at last. She walked over toward Asami, then reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. "There's a reason. I'll say that. Just trust me on this. Maybe ask him yourself sometime, if things do work out. Though… I guess if you're this uncomfortable with it, maybe it's for the best not to lead him on. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Asami's eyes slid over to look at Opal again, and she cracked a grin. "No, it's alright. Thank you, Opal. Sorry, things are just a bit complicated for me romantically - long story. I'll figure it out, don't worry." She reached a hand up to Opal's, giving it a squeeze to thank her friend for her support.

* * *

 

_Dear Korra,_

_Almost two years have passed since I've last heard from you. I'm not entirely sure what to make of your silence, but I can't imagine it means anything good. As always, you have my unconditional support, and a promise that I'll do anything for you if you need it._

_There's something I need to tell you, Korra. I tried heading to the statue of you in Avatar Korra Park, but I couldn't say it there. I have to write it down, even if you might never read this. I haven't decided yet whether I'll even send this letter; I suppose I'm writing this more for my own sake than for yours._

_Well… for my own sake, then, I'll say it: A bit over two years ago, while we were searching the Earth Kingdom for new airbenders-_

* * *

 

An explosion of blue fills the world, but this time I'm expecting it. I wasn't sure when it would happen, but I knew this was going to happen again. I was taken out of Asami's memories before at a sudden, peculiar moment. I don't know what it was that I was blocked from seeing, but I think now I know why it happened.

Somehow, Asami's sound chakra had gotten closed off or restricted, and it's been blocking her communication ever since. Even inside her memories, it showed up, blocking me from experiencing what had happened after she spotted her letter to me in the memory from earlier. Whatever was happening here, it wasn't making things easy on us.

Fine then. We'll do this the hard way. As blue fills my world, I twist my body, pushing back against it. I was able to get back to Asami before by heading downward, so that's where I'm going now.

* * *

 

- _I fell in love with you. By the time I figured out my feelings, though, things were getting too out-of-hand with the Red Lotus, and I never got a chance to truly act on it before you sacrificed yourself to them. After that point, with how much the battle with Zaheer had hurt you, there was no way I could burden you with my feelings. Perhaps if you returned them, hearing my own would have been helpful, but I judged it far more likely you weren't there yet, if you could ever love another woman._

_My feelings for you haven't changed, Korra, even after all of this time. It's hard to believe it, but it's actually been longer now since I last heard from you than you were actually in my life for. It doesn't feel that way, though. I've been holding you in my heart this entire time, and I imagine I'll continue to hold you there for years to come, even if I never hear another word from you._

_The reason I'm writing you this now is, for the first time in two years, I'm starting to feel like it might be possible for me to feel something for someone else. I've had more than a few men - and one woman - ask me out on dates in the past couple years, but I turned them all down. But perhaps now enough time has passed that my heart has opened itself up to the merest possibility of feeling something for someone else._

* * *

 

The letter. I can see it, and Asami's hand writing it. Most of the words are blocked out from my vision, but I can pick out bits here and there. I can still feel resistance, but I'm making progress. I reach my hand out to Asami's, struggling, straining to reach her.

"I'm not giving up on you, Asami!" I call out. I get just a bit closer to her, but not close enough. I narrow my eyes, focusing on the specific goal. I have to be with her, even if most of the memory is blocked from my view.

* * *

 

_I don't love you any less. But if I continue down this road, and I develop true feelings for someone else, will my feelings for you fade? If they don't, it would feel like I'm being unfaithful to my new partner. Perhaps the best scenario would be if my feelings for you shift to loving you as a friend. I'll admit, my heart doesn't quite want to give up on you yet. But if I don't do something now, I may miss my chance._

_I guess I simply don't have enough information to know I'll be making the right decision, whatever I decide. If I knew how you felt about me, or how you might feel about me given time, I could decide easily. But I don't. And so I have to work with what I know, and face the fact that whatever decision I make, it could be the wrong one._

_To speak up, to get in at least one date with Izin, to explore the possibility of something with him… even if it might mean letting my heart drift away from you… or to keep silent, to give up on that possibility, even though I know he's likely interested, but keep my heart faithful to the possibility of something with you._

* * *

 

The world strains against me. Blue ink seems to cover most of the letter, and I can only pick out a few sentences from it. Enough to tell Asami is struggling over the decision of whether or not to ask out Izin, but not enough to figure out why. I'm getting closer to her, though. My hand has almost reached hers.

"We can do this, Asami. I got every letter you wrote while I was recovering in the South Pole," I say. I don't know if she can hear me, but I'm saying it for myself, in any case. "You never gave up on me. Now it's my turn. I'm not giving up on you. I'll never give up on you, Asami."

My fingertips touch the back of Asami's hand. A golden light spreads from the point of contact, and the resistance around me suddenly vanishes. I snap forward, my body merging with Asami's, my mind taking a backseat to hers once more.

* * *

 

_Logically, I guess it doesn't make much sense to keep waiting on you after all this time. Maybe if I speak up now, years later my heart will thank me for doing so, and you and I will be back to simply being best friends. Or maybe things won't work out with Izin, but you do develop feelings for me later. It could still work._

_I guess that's it then. I have to speak. It doesn't change my feelings for you, Korra. I'll never love you any less. But perhaps someday I'll love you in a different way. That might actually be what you'd prefer._

_Alright, there's no way I can send this to you, not knowing what state you might be in there. Who knows how much harm I could cause. Maybe later I'll show it to you, though, and you can tell me if I've made the right decision._

_With love,_

_Asami Sato_

Asami put down her pen. She couldn't leave herself much room for doubt right now, or she'd go back on the decision she'd just made. Surrendering to uncertainty wasn't an option. With a nod to steel her resolve, Asami folded up the letter she'd just written and took it to her filing cabinet. She'd have to remember to show it to Korra eventually, but for now it was best she focus on Izin.

Finding a way to ask him out might be a bit tricky. She'd never gotten his home phone number or address. She might be able to find one or the other out somehow, but that might add a bit of awkwardness that would be best avoided. It was past hours at the patent office now, so if she wanted to go through there, she'd have to wait until the next day.

She wanted to get this done today though, or at least start on it, so she wouldn't go back on her decision and end up regretting it later. As she turned back to her desk, her eyes fell on her telephone. She didn't have Izin's number herself, but perhaps Opal did. She did mention that she'd met up for lunch with him a few times. Nodding to herself, Asami headed to her desk and picked up her phone.

* * *

 

Time stretches out as Asami reaches for her phone. Colors blur out, melding into one another. I know what's going. An invitation to step outside of Asami for a moment. Perhaps I could use it after seeing her decide to go on a date with someone else, but I don't move.

"No," I say. "Let's continue. No way I'm giving up on you, Asami. Wherever you were back then, it's alright. I can handle it. I know I said it was awkward before, but I'll work through that for your sake." I let myself relax, emptying my mind so that Asami's could take over once more. "Let's continue, Asami."

* * *

 

Asami ticked off the final box on her checklist. Everything was perfect. Once she'd started moving, things had fallen into place one after another. Opal had been more than eager to help get Asami into contact with Izin, and she'd been right: Izin had been pleasantly surprised at Asami's invitation and had accepted. Although the timing was tight before Izin left for the Fire Nation, Asami was able to book them a private table at Luzao's, one of her favorite restaurants, thanks to another reservation having been cancelled just minutes before she phoned.

Perhaps it was the universe confirming that she'd made the right decision, or perhaps it was simply a stroke of good luck. But things were going well, and Asami found herself hopeful that they'd continue to do so. It probably wasn't the best idea to get ahead of herself too much, but a bit of hope probably wasn't going to be a problem. She just had to hold out until her date this evening, and see where things went from there.

In any case, it was time to get back to work. Asami reached out to take the stack of letters from her inbox, quickly rifling through them in case there was anything marked urgent. As she did so, a pale blue envelope caught her eye. Her first thought was that it might be an update from Katara or someone else at the South Pole on Korra's recovery, and so she eagerly pulled it out, hoping for the best for her friend.

Asami blinked as she read the return address, and the world around her seemed to freeze. Korra.

After a long minute, Asami slowly turned over the envelope, and she peeled it open. Her mind was blank as she did so, possible thoughts battling against each other so ferociously that none could win out and manifest itself within her mind. All she could do was pull out the letter and begin to read.

_Dear Asami,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written to you sooner, but every time I've tried, I never know what to say. The past two years have been the hardest of my life. Even though I can get around fine now, I still can't go into the Avatar State. I keep having visions of Zaheer and what happened that day. Katara thinks a lot of this is in my head, so I've been meditating a lot, but sometimes I worry I'll never fully recover._

_Please don't tell Mako and Bolin I wrote to you and not them. I don't want to hurt their feelings, but it's easier to tell you about this stuff. I don't think they'd understand._

_-Korra_

Asami's eyes went over the letter again, and she could feel tears trying to push their way out. The letter wasn't long, but it still managed to say so much to Asami. How hard must it have been for Korra to write this? And what did it mean about her feelings for Asami that she'd written it?

It couldn't have been easy for Korra to write this. Asami could feel her friend struggling for words. No wonder it had taken Korra so long to reply, if she was holding in this much pain. But she finally had replied… to Asami. Only to Asami.

That did it. There was no use fighting the tears. Asami pushed the letter away to keep it safe, and then quickly buried her face in her arms, letting the tears flow.

_Korra..._

Pain swelled within Asami's chest. She hadn't felt anything like this since Korra had resolved to sacrifice herself to the Red Lotus. All the worry about Korra came back to her, twisting at her heart. Her feelings hadn't faded in the slightest since they'd parted. Not even the hint of developing feelings for Izin had managed to make the slightest impact on what Korra meant to her.

And with this letter… despite all the pain from Korra, and how much it hurt Asami to hear about it… there was the fact that Korra had written to Asami alone. Through all the pain Asami felt for Korra's mental state, a guilty sliver of hope had managed to wedge itself in. This could mean there was an actual chance Korra might feel something for Asami in return, or even just a chance that she might be able to in the future.

Asami's throat swelled up on her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She shouldn't be focusing on that. She should be worried about her friend, wanting to help in any way she could. It didn't feel right to be happy about this letter.

Asami pulled her face back from her arms, shaking her head. She couldn't control how she felt. She could only control her actions, and so she had to make sure that she did what was best for Korra. She wiped tears from her face, trying to find some semblance of focus. Korra wasn't going to be ready to hear Asami's confession of love, at least not in a romantic way. But she needed support. That was something Asami could do, at least.

Trying to swallow down her conflicting emotions, Asami forced herself to breathe slowly. It was Friday, and the next letter pick-up wasn't until Monday, so she wouldn't be able to rush a reply out before then. That was probably for the best. She could take her time and make sure her reply was just right before sending it to Korra. She had the whole weekend to work on it.

As she visualized the weekend before her, Asami could feel her chest constricting on her. Izin. Her date with him. Tonight. It was too soon, she couldn't… she couldn't move on from Korra. Not now. Perhaps not ever.

She should never have asked him out. It had seemed like the right decision at the time… but so much in her life had. It had never prevented her from facing heartbreak before. This might be the first time she found herself causing a broken heart, though. She wasn't going to get out of this unscathed, but Izin would have it worse.

There had been so much hope in his words as he'd accepted her offer of a date. She'd given him that, and now she had to take it away, before anything even began. How would he take it? How much heartbreak had he faced in his life? Would he be able to take anymore?

Asami looked over at her phone. She had his number now. She could call him, cancel it, apologize, try to explain. It wasn't fair to him, but none of this was. It was Asami's fault for speaking up, bringing him into this when her heart was still fixated on Korra. She owed him better than this. She couldn't make everything right, but she at least owed him better than a phone call.

It would be harder for her this way. She probably deserved it, though. No… that didn't matter. She had to do what was right, whether it was hard or easy. A call might be easier at first, but she couldn't trust herself or him not to hang up if it got difficult. She had to meet him, try to explain in person what had happened. She'd booked a private table at the restaurant, and she could ask the waitstaff to stay away for a bit when she met with him.

It wasn't a good solution. Maybe it was the least bad one.

* * *

 

In the year after the Equalists' rebellion, Asami had gotten quite a bit of progress covering up her emotions in public. It started with the betrayal and imprisonment of her father, which led to Asami taking over what was left of Future Industries and trying to rebuild it while hiding her pain over what had happened with her father. It got worse with Varrick's efforts to take over Future Industries, which caused its slow descent into bankruptcy due to the thefts he'd arranged. In private, she'd fallen apart, but she got practice in never letting the public see what she was going through.

She had to put that practice to use now, covering up her conflicting emotions as she arrived at Luzao's. The first part was easy - give the host a generous tip while requesting some privacy until they called for a waiter, then apologize in case she had to leave early. With the tip, no questions were asked, and she was able to keep up her mask long enough to reach the table she'd reserved.

The first crack appeared in her mask as she caught sight of Izin, already seated at the table. She quickly covered it up, though, smiling gently at him as she approached. "Good evening, Izin," she said, making an effort to keep her voice neutral, as if she were just here to conduct business.

"Asami," Izin replied. His face showed only a polite smile, but his eyes betrayed his excitement. After Asami took a seat across from him, he continued, "I feel I should be thanking you already for treating me to dinner here. There's no way I would normally be able to afford eating at a place like this."

Asami shook her head slightly. "Don't worry about it," she said, meeting his gaze. She felt a bit of a spark again as she did so, a reminder of why she'd asked him out in the first place. She did feel something for him, but it simply couldn't compare to the love she'd built up for Korra. "You deserve a bit of a celebration for your new job, after all," Asami said. As soon as she finished speaking, she cursed herself for delaying the inevitable. It would be so much easier to simply go through with this date and pretend the chemistry just didn't work at the end of it. But it would be a lie.

Izin let out a brief chuckle. His eyes held Asami's for a moment, and she could practically read what he was thinking: No reason a celebration had to be just the two of them. This was intended to be more than that. Izin then tilted his head slightly and said, "Fair enough. In any case, thank you."

Another crack appeared in Asami's mask as Izin thanked her. She couldn't accept his thanks. And she couldn't let this go on. She took a breath, and then forced herself to speak. "Izin… I'm afraid I don't deserve your thanks," she said.

"What do you mean?" Izin said, furrowing his eyebrows.

Asami took another deep breath. She had to do it. It was the right thing, however much pain it might cause in the short term. "I'm afraid that matters have changed somewhat since I asked you out for this dinner. Not in regards to how I feel about you, but how I feel about another. My best friend."

Izin blinked slowly. His face seemed to have frozen, as if he was putting up a mask of his own. He wasn't as practiced at it, it seemed, as Asami could easily see the growing disappointment in his eyes. She didn't know how much heartbreak he'd seen in his life. Hopefully he would be able to weather this. Hopefully his feelings for Asami hadn't gotten too strong yet.

After giving Izin a chance to say something if he wished to, Asami forced herself to press forward. "I fell in love with her a couple years ago, but she's been in no place to return my feelings, or even hear my confession." There was a momentary flicker in Izin's eyes at the word "her," but it was quickly gone. Most likely just surprise. "I held onto my feelings, in case something might change. But when I asked you out, I'd decided it was time to try to move on. Today… I received a letter from her. It brought back everything I felt before, and also gave me a ray of hope that she might one day return my feelings."

Izin's body was stiff, but he slowly nodded. "I see," he said. It was only two words, but it sounded as if his voice was nearly cracking. Certainly his eyes were showing distress. It was hard to say just what it was, though. There seemed to be some anger there, but it didn't feel like it was directed at Asami. Perhaps simply at fate, which had dealt them both this hand.

Asami reached out, taking Izin's hand in hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze as she considered her next words. "A while ago, you said that you don't believe the universe plays dice with us. If you're right, then the timing of this letter is no coincidence. I don't know what the purpose of it is, though. Right now, it simply seems cruel that I didn't receive the letter a week ago or a week later. I can't imagine that the universe wants to hurt you, though. Whatever the meaning is, I hope you find it someday."

Light glistened off of Izin's eyes. Perhaps tears were trying to push their way out, or perhaps it was just the way the light hit them. He nodded weakly, but didn't speak any further. His eyes dropped down to the table.

Asami had to fight to keep herself from breaking down right now. Was this what it felt like to break someone's heart? Asami squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then swallowed her pain and tried to speak. "I'll… I'll leave you if you want. I asked the waitstaff to give us some privacy, and to expect that we might disappear before eating. Whatever you want to do, I'll handle it. I'll cover the costs of the table, or your meal. Leave if you want, and I'll explain it to them."

Izin simply nodded again. "Alright," he said. He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "Right. Do that then."

Asami nodded, though he wouldn't see it with his eyes closed. She released his hand, then stood up. "Alright. I'm sorry, Izin. You deserve better than this," she said. She stepped away from the table, then pushed in her chair and began to head off.

"Asami," came Izin's voice from behind her, after she'd taken just a couple of steps. Asami paused in her step, turning back toward him. He'd opened his eyes again, though for once Asami had trouble reading them. "Your friend… it's the Avatar, isn't it?"

Asami had to suppress a wince. She'd been careful not to say that part. After the way she'd met Izin, she didn't want to give him a reason to go back to hating Korra. This wasn't her fault. Asami considered lying to him to protect Korra, but… no. There wasn't anything here Korra needed protection from. Heartbreak wasn't going to turn him into something he wasn't. "Yes," Asami said. "It's her."

"Of course…" Izin said. He closed his eyes again. Oddly, it looked like there was a hint of a smile on his face. After a moment, he spoke, his voice weak and nearing it's breaking point. "...I hope it works out for you two then."

Asami shut her eyes, turning half away from him. "I do too…" she said.

* * *

 

The world slows to a crawl. Perhaps it's time for me to step outside of Asami's memories again, and have a moment as myself. After the fight it took to get in, however, I don't know if I'll be able to return if I leave.

The world stops. Nothing's moving, but I still don't take the invitation to leave. Eventually, though, I do notice one sound: a heartbeat. Asami's heart. Right now, it's still twisted in pain, but I know it will recover. After the first letter I sent to her, I do manage to write a couple more before I head off to the Earth Kingdom to try to find myself. And then I return, and I've barely said "hello" before I start acting like we're a couple.

Neither of us ever said anything about our feelings. I was stuck being blind to how she felt about me, until it finally struck me as we entered the spirit portal together. And Asami… she knew how I felt, but…

"You were afraid to speak, weren't you?" I say. I guess there's no fighting it. I allow myself to step outside of Asami's body. There are some things I need to say to her. "With Izin… and Mako before him, you spoke up. You were assertive, you asked them out, and it ended in heartbreak."

I smile weakly at Asami's frozen body, then look over my shoulder at Izin. It wasn't Asami's heart that was broken this time, but she still felt it just as acutely. And it just had to happen when my first letter to her arrived. I turn back to Asami, thinking over what I saw before, in my last vision. Mako wasn't the first person I saw her with; he was just the first one I recognized. There were two people before that, when Asami looked younger. One boy, one girl. The same pattern had showed itself: Energy flowed through her sound chakra in a burst, followed by her body wincing in pain.

"Did it happen before, too?" I say. "Before Mako, I mean. You asked someone out, and faced heartbreak in the end?" I glance downward, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry it happened, Asami. I really don't know what it's like. I've only ever been with Mako before, and I never faced the kind of heartbreak you did with him. I can see why you'd be hesitant to speak up after all of this."

I take a step toward Asami. Her body is still frozen, but I know she's listening to me. I reach a hand out, placing it on her shoulder. I look up into her eyes for a moment, remembering the way they looked as we entered the spirit portal together. She didn't need to say anything then. And before, she'd made the right choice not to say anything to me. I wasn't ready to hear it. But after we started this vacation, I was ready, and she was still afraid. Not speaking with me had worked, while speaking up in the past had led her to heartbreak. Something must have happened to amplify that, turning her choice not to speak into an inability to speak.

I lean forward, planting a soft kiss on Asami's cheek. "You can speak whenever you're ready," I say. "If you still need to work through things, I understand." I reach my hand down, grasping Asami's hand. I give it a squeeze, smile at Asami, and say, "Let's wake up now, 'kay Asami?"

* * *

 

_**Now...** _

Asami's eyes slowly peeled open. A blurry form in front of her slowly took shape, focusing into Korra, her hands still joined together with Asami's, and with Light curled up asleep on her lap. Asami gently smiled as she saw Korra's eyes opening as well, and she opened her mouth. She had to try. "I love you, Korra."

Nothing. Only air passed through her lips. Asami looked down, taking a slow breath. No. She wasn't going to give up. Korra had said she wasn't giving up on her, so Asami couldn't give up either. For now, her voice could wait. There was something more important to do first.

Asami looked back at Korra's face, and then she leaned forward. There was a moment of surprise on Korra's face, and then a smile, and then Korra closed her eyes, tilting her head to the side. Asami's lips made gentle contact with Korra's, and the rest of the world faded away. Her throat swelled up with emotion as she moved her lips slowly against Korra's, making sure her friend knew how much Asami loved her.

No. Not her friend. Her girlfriend. Her partner. Her love.

_**End of Book Two** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew… that was a tough one to write, and not just because of the length. I hope you all enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the final arc of the story, starting next week!


	12. To Learn from Souls Passed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami search out Iroh in hopes of finding a lead on getting Asami her voice back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're into the final arc of the story now! Thank you everyone who's read along so far. Don't worry, I have no intention of stopping writing when this ends. I actually have a backlog of chapters to revise for Together Ahead, which the weekly schedule for this fic has been keeping me from, so expect to see some updates there sooner or later.

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 1:**  To Learn from Souls Passed

* * *

 

"Haa… I guess he's away right now," Korra said as they came upon Iroh's empty outdoor teashop. She placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "Wonder how long he'll be away…" She turned back to Asami and said, "What do you think, Asami? Want to wait here for a bit and see if he comes back?"

Asami followed Korra into the teashop, taking a moment to look around it. It was really quite a lovely spot, with a view into the forest nearby, and a mountain not far off. She could see why Iroh had chosen to set up shop here. There wasn't any indication whether Iroh would be back soon or not, though - not a "closed" sign, not a "back in five minutes" sign. Most of the supplies did seem to be put away in cupboards right now, so that probably meant he hadn't stepped out for just a short time.

It would probably be a while before he got back, then. Perhaps it would make sense to head off and see some other places for now, and return later. Asami turned to Korra, trying to think of how to get this across, but as she did, something caught her eye: a Pai Sho board. It was set up on the table next to Korra.

Asami blinked, approaching the board. Had that been there before? She would have thought she'd have noticed it while looking around previously, but somehow she hadn't. Asami placed her fingers down at the edge of the board as she looked at it. The pieces were in their starting positions, at least for the most part. The one exception was the white lotus tile, which had been placed in the center position.

"Oh, Pai Sho…" Korra said, turning to the board as well. "Did you want to play, Asami? I'm afraid I don't know the rules, though. I guess you could teach me. Or… try to teach me. Or wait, Light?" Korra turned her head, looking at the spirit perched on her shoulder. "Any chance you know how to play Pai Sho?"

"Nope, sorry Avatar," Light said. "Maybe there's a rulebook around somewhere, though."

"Oh, okay. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look. I doubt old man Iroh's got much to hide, so he shouldn't mind…" Korra turned off, heading to one of the nearby cabinets. Asami followed her girlfriend with her gaze for a moment, then looked back at the Pai Sho board. A rulebook would certainly be easier, if Korra could find one. Otherwise, teaching Korra the rules could be quite a trick.

In the meantime, that white lotus tile had gotten Asami curious. She picked up the tiles from either side of the board, then placed them down one by one, slowly forming the shape of a blooming lotus around the edges of the board. Asami slowed as she placed the final piece down, wondering what might happen as she did so, if her suspicion was correct.

...Nothing. The final tile took its place just like all the others, without even an extra breeze in the air. It seemed there wasn't any particular meaning to this aft-

"I'm afraid that pattern has been known to the public for a long time," came a rough voice from in front of Asami. She nearly jumped in place as she looked up to see a large, white-haired man sitting across the Pai Sho board from her. "And so the White Lotus no longer use it as proof of membership," the man continued, smiling jovially at Asami. "It does, however, work very well at letting other spirits get my attention when I'm away from my shop. I do believe this is the first time a human has done so, however."

Asami blinked, her mind still catching up, but then she smiled. This must be Iroh. She couldn't greet him, but she could still be polite. She gave him a bow in the moment before Korra spoke up.

"Iroh!" she said, dashing over to join him and Asami in a pair of large steps. A wide grin on her face, she gave Iroh a bow as well. "Asami and I have been looking for you. We really need someone with some wisdom to help us out, or at least point us in the right direction," she said.

"Oh, well I can't promise I'll be able to help," Iroh said, pushing himself up from his seat. He began to walk toward the counter of his shop. "But why don't you have a seat and tell me what's been going on while I brew us some tea. If nothing else, a little company is always welcome, I'm sure you'll agree."

* * *

 

"So, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Asami's sound chakra," Korra said. She took another sip of her tea, eyeing the Pai Sho board. Four games in, and she still hadn't been able to figure out the rules well enough to tell whether Iroh or Asami was winning. Probably Iroh; he'd won every game so far. She gave it no mind though and continued, "I'm sure some of my past lives knew more about chakras than I do, but all I remember is a brief scene from Avatar Varina's life, where she learned that it was blocked by the lies she told herself.

"Of course, I told Asami this, and she's been trying to figure out anything she might be lying to herself about and admitting the truth. But none of it's helped get her voice back. So, we're looking around for anyone who might know more about chakras. I figured if you didn't know, you might know someone who does."

"Hmm…" A sparkle briefly appeared in Iroh's eyes. He reached down and and moved a piece, which caused Asami's eyes to widen, and then her shoulders to slump. Apparently he was winning. "I'm afraid I don't know any more about the sound chakra than what you've already said. But you're right. I believe I may know who you could ask for help."

"Really? Who?" Korra said. She noticed Asami's expression brightening at this news, though it turned back into frustration when she looked back down at the Pai Sho board. After a moment, she grudgingly moved a piece.

"Someone you know, but haven't thought to look for," Iroh said. He moved another piece, then leaned back in his chair, a contented grin on his face. "You actually are quite good for your age, Miss Sato. You most likely could have beaten me when I was a young man. Of course, I've had a lot of practice since then."

Asami let out a light chuckle. She smiled and nodded at Iroh, thanking him for his praise. She waved her hand over the board, possibly asking if he wanted to play another game.

"Oh no, I think perhaps that's enough for now," Iroh said, smiling at her. "I should let the two of you head off. It's quite the walk to Zhi-Wen valley, after all."

"'Zhi-Wen'..." Korra said. She blinked. It took her a moment to place the name. "Oh! That's where we're supposed to meet Master Sheng!" she said. "Right, I forgot. We got an invitation not long after we arrived here, and we found a spirit who was digging us a tunnel to get to him. Though I wonder if he'll dig to where we are now, or if we'll have to head back to where we met him…"

"Master Sheng!" Iroh said, his eyes widening. "Dear me, you should consider yourselves quite fortunate that he wishes to meet you. He's normally quite reclusive. Oh, but he has been coming out a bit more lately, and he does have fine taste in tea, if I do say so myself." Iroh let out a chuckle at this. "In any case, why don't the three of you wait here? I'll go check and see where you can expect to find the tunnel being dug for you."

Korra nodded, smiling at Iroh. "That would be great. Thank you, Iroh," she said.

"Oh!" Light said, breaking his silence as he looked up at Iroh from his spot on the table. It seemed to be a moment too late, though, as the old man's body began to fade away nonetheless. Light's expression fell, and he let out a sigh. He turned to Korra, looking up at her and said, "Avatar! You forgot to ask him who it was you were supposed to ask about Asami's voice!"

Korra blinked. Her eyes widened as she silently cursed herself. She looked over at Asami, stammering as she said, "Asami, I- um, I'm sorry, I mean, I'm sure we'll see him again. Please don't think I forgot abou-"

Korra found herself cut off as Asami's lips moved in to capture her own in a sudden kiss. She tried to pout for a moment, but it was no use. There was really nothing to pout about after all. She was being kissed by Asami. Her new girlfriend. That was definitely not something to pout about.

Chuckling gently, Korra relaxed into the kiss, returning it for the moment before Asami pulled away. "I take it that means I'm forgiven?" she said, her gaze meeting Asami's. This earned her a nod, and Korra couldn't help but smile in relief. Although… there was something about the look in Asami's eyes right now… "Good," she said, leaning in to bring her lips to Asami's, returning the favor to her love. No way she could resist that particular look from Asami.

* * *

 

Korra tossed her teacup into the air, then pointed her fingers up at it. She rotated her fingers around, generating a small twister of air which kept the teacup suspended. She let out a sigh, looking around the area. Her expression looked quite bored, up until her eyes met Asami's. As soon as it did, a smile crossed her face. It seemed that was all it took right now to give Korra a little happiness.

Asami returned the smile. Knowing this fact was all it took to give her some happiness as well. She got up from her seat and stepped over toward Korra. She reached up and plucked the teacup from Korra's twister, putting it down on the table. She didn't want Korra to end up letting it break from distraction, and a distraction was exactly what she had in mind right now.

Holding Korra's gaze with her own, Asami placed her hand on Korra's far shoulder, then brought herself down to sit on Korra's lap. This earned her a surprised blush and nervous squirm from her love, but only for a moment. Soon enough, a grin took over Korra's face. "I'm guessing you've thought of a way to pass the time until Iroh gets back?" she said.

Asami chuckled, then nodded at Korra. Light was off wandering around the woods nearby right now, and there wasn't another spirit in sight. Iroh would be back sooner or later, but he didn't seem like the type who would mind seeing them being a bit affectionate with each other. That made it the perfect chance for them to get in a little couple time right now.

Asami slowly leaned in, bringing her face closer to Korra's. She could see Korra tilting her head back, her girlfriend's eyes looking up at her patiently, waiting for Asami to move in and touch their lips together at last. Asami took her time, letting the moment linger, but only long enough to build up the tension. Just when she felt like it was at its peak, she moved in, her lips joining with Korra's in a soft, tender kiss.

The kiss earned Asami a moan from the Avatar, much to her delight. She moved her lips slowly against Korra's, relishing the new experience and paying careful attention to what Korra seemed to like. She might not be able to speak right now, but that didn't mean she couldn't still use her lips to communicate with Korra. Right now, the message was simple and obvious, but one she still desperately needed to say.

Asami couldn't believe how lucky she was right now, and that was even including the fact that she couldn't speak. It was a trade she would have made in a heartbeat, if she'd been asked. Even if she never regained her voice, being able to kiss Korra's lips like this, to feel the Avatar close to her, to know the pleasure she was giving her girlfriend right now… it was more than worth it.

* * *

 

"Well, I have good news for the two of you," came Iroh's voice.

Korra turned to the source of the voice, finding that Iroh had once more appeared out of nowhere, this time standing at the entrance to the teashop. She almost found herself jerking away from Asami to hide what they were doing, but she suppressed the instinct; that would just make things look worse. At least Asami wasn't actually on her lap right now.

"It would seem the tunnel to Zhi-Wen valley has been completed," Iroh continued, stepping into the shop. "Its architect tells me that he followed the path of the tunnel the Avatar briefly dug while traveling through the spirit world. He had some rather rude words to say about your craftsmanship, but I suspect no true harm was intended."

Korra let out a snort at this and rolled her eyes. "Pfft. He can be rude about it all he likes. I screwed up big with that tunnel. I wasn't even trying to make it permanent. But okay! I know right where that is… roughly." Korra blinked, looking over at Asami apologetically. "Er… sorry, the geography of the spirit world doesn't always seem to stay fixed, so I'm just hoping it's where we left it."

Light perked up from his spot on the table as Korra said this. "Don't worry, Avatar. I'll make sure you don't get lost."

"Ah, perfect then," Korra said, smiling at the spirit. She turned to Asami and said, "Do you want to go now? Master Sheng did invite us a few days ago now, so it might be rude to keep him waiting much longer."

Asami gazed at Korra. Her eyes glanced over at Iroh briefly. Korra stared back blankly, not quite sure what Asami was getting at. Asami let out a sigh, then pointed at her throat, then at Iroh.

"Oh!" Light said, turning from looking at Asami to face Iroh, who was heading to brew up a pot of tea now. "I think Asami wants to ask who it is they're supposed to ask about her lost voice once they get to Zhi-Wen valley." Korra had to resist the urge to slap her palm against her face as Light said this. That was the second time she'd forgotten, and she hadn't even picked it up from Asami's clues. She was really going to need to work for forgiveness this time.

"Ah, well it's a spirit I met on my first trip to the spirit world," Iroh said as he worked on the tea, "back when I was still a middle-aged man." He looked over his shoulder, a sad smile crossing his face. "I'm afraid the whole story is quite long, but rest it to say, after the death of my son, I was chasing a rumor that the dead end up in the spirit world. I suppose it seems ironic for me to say this now, but I found out that that's not true. Of course, you can see for yourselves that there are exceptions.

"I'm sorry, I seem to be drifting from the subject," Iroh said. As the tea finished up, he poured out a couple cups, then brought them over to the table for Korra and Asami, then sat down with them. "In my searches, I met a spirit. She called herself the Voice of the Wind, and she told me that although she was once human, most humans do not go on to become spirits when they died. Her own spirituality and clarity of purpose at the end of her life made her an exception.

"Thankfully for me, she was very compassionate. She helped me realize that my son would always be part of me, and the fact that he once lived could never be erased. His presence would linger in the world, rippling out, affecting one thing after another for as long as the world lasts. The true difficulty was for those of us who still lived, and who had to learn to live without him." Iroh paused for a moment, then let out a sigh. "I apologize once more, I seem to be getting off of the subject again."

Korra shook her head, and she saw Asami doing the same thing beside her. "It's alright," she said. It was quite obvious that this was something that Iroh wanted to talk about, even if it wasn't quite on subject. Besides, even though Korra had never had to face losing someone she was close to, Asami was actually going through that right now. Her father's death was barely weeks in the past. Some wise words from Iroh could certainly help.

Iroh nodded slowly. "Well, the point is, I asked this spirit about how she could be so compassionate and insightful when talking to a man she'd just met. She explained to me that her best attributes had been amplified over the years. She was compassionate in life, and so she was compassionate now. She also said that she had overcome much in order to communicate truthfully with others in her life, and this communication helped lead to an understanding between her and others, and a mutual compassion.

"I didn't ask her more about what had happened in her life, so I don't know how relevant it might be to your condition, Miss Sato," Iroh said. "But she does call herself the 'Voice of the Wind' after all, and she stressed the importance of communication to her, so I think she will be your best bet for helping you to regain your voice."

Asami smiled at Iroh, and she nodded at him thankfully. Korra copied this gesture and said, "That sounds good. We'll look for her once we get there." Glancing down at the table and seeing her still-unfinished cup of tea, she continued, "Though I think we can spare a minute to finish our tea before leaving, right Asami?" This earned Korra a grin and a nod from her girlfriend.

* * *

 

The tunnel really was of quite good craftsmanship. The spirit had made sure it sloped down at a reasonable rate, it was more than large enough for both Korra and Asami to not have to worry about hitting their heads, and it even managed to gently curve over the section where gravity reversed itself so that there wasn't a stumbling hazard.

The only thing the spirit had left out was a source of light, but with Korra's firebending to light the way, that wasn't an issue. As it turned out, Light was also able to emit a soft glow from his body, leaving Asami as the only one unable to provide a source of light for them, at least until they stumbled upon her and Korra's backpacks halfway through the tunnel and she was able to recover her flashlight. Asami reminded herself to thank the spirit for this gesture if she ever ran into it again.

"Okay," Korra said, as they reached a fork in the tunnel. She held up the flame in her hand to one branch, then the other. "Perhaps I should have been expecting this. I'm guessing one path goes to where we came through from the other side, and the other heads to Zhi-Wen valley. So. Any thoughts on which is which?"

Light flew up toward the corridor Korra was currently illuminating, and then back over to the other one. "I don't know. I don't sense anything from either path," he said.

Asami shined her flashlight at the tunnels. There weren't any markings she could see, but that wasn't particularly surprising. The spirit who'd dug this tunnel had seemed to be blind, after all. It always talked about smelling, not seeing. Asami cracked a grin at this. With how much care it had put into this tunnel, it was quite unlikely it would have put a fork in it without markers for which path led where. But it would have put markers for the sense it relied on most.

Asami stepped into one of the tunnels and took in a breath through her nose, trying to see if she could smell anything from it. There was something there, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. It was just at the limit of her perception. She shook her head. Turning back to Korra and Light, her eyes fixed on the spirit. She made a noise to get his attention, then pointed to her nose, then down at the floor by either of the tunnels. After Asami sniffed a few times, the spirit's ears perked up.

"You want me to smell the tunnel?" Light said. Asami nodded in confirmation at the spirit. Light glanced over at Korra, who shrugged at him; it seemed she hadn't yet figured out what Asami had in mind, but she was willing to go along with it. Light nodded, then flew down to the floor. With a flash of light, he transformed into the form of a small dog, and headed over to sniff out each of the paths in turn.

"Do you smell anything, Light?" Korra said. She glanced briefly over at Asami, then back to the spirit.

Light nodded. "I do. There's a marker in each of these tunnels," he said. He turned around and walked back toward Korra and Asami. For just a moment, Asami caught a flicker of a smile cross Korra's face. Apparently Light's current cuteness was getting to her. And this realization caused a smile to cross Asami's face, which she didn't bother to suppress. "The right tunnel smells a bit like trees, and the left smells like water and wind."

"Hmm…" Korra said. She crossed her arms and leaned back, tapping her foot for a moment. "Well, there were a lot of trees in the place where we came in, but no water. I don't know what Zhi-Wen valley is like. Maybe it has water and wind there? Oh! We know that spirit, the Voice of the Wind, is there, right? So… left then?" she said, looking between Asami and Light.

Asami nodded at Korra, smiling at her girlfriend. There was no guarantee that her logic was right, but it was their best bet for now.

* * *

 

At the sight of a dim light up ahead, Korra extinguished the flame in her hand and paused in her step. She could sense something, though she couldn't quite say what it was. Shaking her head slightly, she resumed her pace, heading toward the light at the end of the tunnel. A breeze seemed to be blowing through the tunnel now, the sound of it echoing off the walls.

The volume of the wind picked up as they neared the end of the tunnel. This definitely was someplace new. Zhi-Wen valley at last. It was still hard to make out, but the light from the exit seemed to be a mix of deep blue and green. Asami soon turned off her flashlight, and it became easier to make out the light from the end: Green on the bottom, blue on the top, with a hint of white mixed in.

Despite the fact that they were here in part to try to get Asami's voice back, Korra still found herself getting eager to explore a new part of the spirit world. She just hoped Master Sheng would be nice. There was a bit of a risk with some of the more powerful spirits. Her ability to influence the spirit world could only go so far.

Though right now, that connection with the spirit world was definitely trying to tell her something. Korra squinted as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, and she tried to focus on the exit. Something was there. It looked like a figure, clad in white. It was definitely calling to Korra. She found herself picking up her pace, heading toward it.

The wind picked up as Korra neared the figure. It was a woman, who seemed to glow with her own white light. Somehow Korra could pick up on this before even seeing the woman's face. Her robes blew in the wind, though they sometimes seemed to move against the wind. Perhaps they were blowing the wind as much as they were being blown by the wind.

As Korra approached, the woman moved to meet her, hovering forward. The glow around her face faded just enough for Korra to finally get a good look at it. Korra paused in her step, her eyes fixating on the tattoo on the woman's forehead - a tattoo in the same place as those of Tenzin and Jinora, but with a different design. Instead of an arrow, it split into two curled tails, evocative of clouds.

"Welcome to Zhi-Wen valley," the woman said. Her voice was soft, airy, and somehow familiar. "Iroh told me to expect you, Avatar Korra. And you as well, Asami Sato, and the young spirit of light. You may call me the Voice of the Wind."

Korra blinked. There was such an odd feeling right now. She focused on the spirit's face, trying to figure it out. The spirit was familiar, and Iroh had said it was someone Korra knew, but hadn't thought to look for, but she certainly hadn't seen anyone with tattoos like that before. Well, outside of Avatar Wan's memory of meeting the Air Tribe.

Korra's eyes widened. It couldn't be, could it? "Wait… are you… were you... Avatar Varina?"


	13. Those Who Must Go On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally in contact with an expert, Korra and Asami ask the Voice of the Winds for advice on Asami's voice, and Korra tries to find out more about the spirit's history - could she really be a past Avatar?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I haven't been giving her the credit she's due, but I want to make a note here to thank Raijin Tora for her help beta-reading this and all other chapters of this fic.

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 2:**  Those Who Must Go On

* * *

"Varina…" the spirit said, as if she were feeling the word in her mouth. Her eyes fell closed, and she was silent for a long while.

Korra found herself holding her breath, silently pleading for her intuition to be right. Or even if not Varina, if this were another past Avatar, that would still be amazing. As she waited for an answer, Korra felt Asami's hand grasp her own, giving it a supportive squeeze.

At last, the spirit opened her eyes once more. "It's been a very long time since I've heard that name," she said, a smile crossing her face, "but I will never forget it. Yes. I was called Varina when I was alive, and I was the Avatar of Raava. I am no longer the Avatar, but you may still address me as Varina if you so wish."

"No longer…?" Korra began to say, but then she blinked and shook her head. Right now, she didn't care. She grinned widely, trying to resist the urge to dash forward and hug Varina. Even if she was a past life, it was a bit early for that. "Varina," she said, the smile refusing to drop from her face. "I'm so pleased to meet you right now." She gave Asami's hand a squeeze. "There's so much I want to talk to you about, but right now I just hope you can help Asami. She lost her voice a few days ago, and we're trying to figure out how to get it back."

Varina slowly nodded her head. "Iroh has told me as much. I will of course do whatever I can to help you," she said. She moved backward a few feet and turned to the side, her body hovering smoothly over the terrain. "Please, follow me."

* * *

Crystalline swamp. Those were two words Asami had never thought to use together until she'd gotten her first good look at Zhi-Wen Valley. Before she'd seen the spirit world, she'd imagined it resembling the vines which had taken over Republic City, and so finding a swamp here wasn't a surprise at all. But apparently the vines were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to spirit world weirdness.

At first glance, the area they came out into looked just like a swamp. There was dark, murky green water surrounding them, various plants, and a hint of deep blue sky peeking in through the trees above. Then Asami began to notice that at least half of what she'd thought were plants were actually made entirely of crystal, and their apparent colors shifted as she walked by. They often appeared green, matching their surroundings, but from the right angles the light split up, making some of the plant-like structures glow with a rainbow of colors. As they walked through, one plant or another always seemed to be emitting such a rainbow, resulting in quite the beautiful walk.

Asami's heart felt lighter as the journey continued. Her voice wasn't back yet, and there was no guarantee Varina would be able to help, but she had hope right now. Though more importantly, she was happy for Korra. After more than three years of being disconnected from her past lives, much of it spent in need of guidance, she'd finally found a connection again to one of them. Even though they'd come here to try to find a solution to Asami's problem, she wasn't going to complain at all if Korra wanted to take advantage of it and talk with Varina while they were here.

For now though, Korra seemed to be just enjoying the walk along with Asami. And Asami had to admit, the grin on Korra's face was certainly infectious. This went double when Korra was holding Asami's hand as they walked, pointing out some of most interesting or beautiful sights, occasionally playing with Light as he fluttered around, or greeting some of the local spirits who came by to meet the Avatar.

"Hey," Korra said, pointing off toward some cliffs in the distance that had just become visible. "Doesn't that tree way over there look like the Tree of Time?"

Asami followed Korra's gaze, squinting off toward the cliffs. Korra was right. The tree at the top of them did look quite a bit like the Tree of Time. With how far away it was, it might even be just as large. Though with all the crystalline trees Asami had seen so far in the Valley, she found herself wondering if that tree might be crystal as well. With how far away it was right now though, they'd have to move a fair bit before they'd be able to see any change in how the light hit it.

After Asami nodded at her, Korra said, "Wonder if it's like those roots we saw where we entered the spirit world. Oh! Varina?" Korra dashed forward, catching up with the spirit, who'd gotten a bit ahead of them now. "Do you know anything about that tree?"

Varina came to a stop, turning to face the tree. She slowly nodded. "Yes. It is called the Tree of Eternity. It is in fact a location of deep connection with the fabric of the spirit and human worlds."

"Like the Tree of Time then?" Korra said. "Is it connected to it? Like, is it just a different part of the same tree?"

"It is connected, but it is not the same tree. Perhaps sometime I can show the two of you to it."

Korra nodded, smiling at Varina. "I'd like that," she said. "Asami comes first though." And at this, Asami smiled at her love. She'd quite like to see this tree as well, but that could wait.

"Of course," Varina said. "Then let us continue. It is not much farther to my abode."

* * *

With every motion Varina made now, the wind seemed to sing. She'd likely been living here for thousands of years, and so she'd had plenty of time to make her home exactly to her liking. It looked like she'd started with a cave, where the web of small tunnels connecting to it and outside would have allowed the wind to echo when it blew in the right direction, much like a natural pipe organ.

But that was just the beginning. The interior of the cave was filled with crystals collected from outside, most of them carved into shapes resembling wind instruments, but with large openings instead of mouthpieces. The walls had been smoothed over, likely to help enhance the acoustics within the cave. While Asami's logical mind told her that such a design should have been more likely to produce a simple cacophony of sound with every gust of wind, somehow it worked to create a beautiful experience. Perhaps it was the years Varina had put into perfecting it, or perhaps some form of spirit world magic helped ensure it followed Varina's will and expressed the beauty she intended.

"Avatar Korra, young spirit of light," Varina said. It was the first time she'd spoken since leading them into her home. Her voice sounded so much richer here, without the airy sound to it that it had had when she'd spoken outdoors. As beautiful as the sounds were when she simply moved through the cave, her voice in here was even more so. "Please, have a seat, and try to remain still and silent. I wish to listen to Miss Sato attempt to speak."

Korra nodded at Varina. She mimed zipping her lips closed, and then found a spot on the floor to sit on. After she patted her hand on her lap, Light came down to a landing on it. He morphed into his puppy form, then curled up in Korra's lap. For a moment, Korra's hand reached out to scratch the back of Light's neck, but even this seemed to be making a noticeable sound, and so she soon stopped, an apologetic expression on her face.

Asami turned her gaze to Varina. She hadn't been asked to say anything in particular, so it most likely didn't matter what she said right now. "My name is Asami Sato," she first tried to say. As ever, no words came out of her mouth, but the breath she used in her attempt to speak did seem to resonate with some of the instruments around the room. Varina seemed to be waiting for more, and so Asami continued. "I came to visit the spirit world with Avatar Korra. Sometime during the first time I slept here, I lost my voice.

"I believe it may have something to do with a dream I had, in which I found myself talking to a younger version of myself who claimed to be my subconscious. I couldn't wake up from this dream. I guessed that some spirit might be trapping me within it, and trying to guide me to confess my romantic feelings for Korra. I defied it, saying I chose not to speak, and then I woke up, finding my voice to be gone. Since then, I've become open about my feelings toward Korra, but my voice still has not returned.

"I was once able to briefly speak a few words to Korra in a moment of desperation, but I haven't been able to do so again since. Korra tells me that she believes the issue is with my sound chakra. From a memory of yours she saw in the Tree of Time, she knows that it can be blocked through the lies I tell myself. I've tried to solve this, thinking on what the lies could be, and trying to face some hard truths."

Asami closed her eyes, feeling her throat swell up a bit as she thought back to some of what she'd tried to face in herself. The hardest part to face was her true feelings about her father, and if she could truly forgive him for what he'd done to her years ago. When it came down to it, her willingness to forgive her father had felt more like a simple wish to do what was necessary to have family in her life again. Perhaps she couldn't forgive him, or perhaps she'd been rushing things. And now, with him having only recently perished, she didn't know if she could ever give him a chance to truly earn her forgiveness.

The truth was, her feelings were complicated, and she didn't know what she felt about her father right now. She didn't know what she felt about Kuvira over the fact that she'd killed Asami's father. The only thing she was sure of was that it was all still painful, and it would take time to sort everything out. At least she could trust in Korra to be there to support her now. When Asami had first faced this fact, she'd nearly broken down, but Korra had been able to hold her together.

"It hasn't worked," she said at last. After all of that, her voice still hadn't returned.

The room was silent for a minute, until Asami heard some tones coming from nearby instruments. As she opened up her eyes, she saw that Varina had approached her, an inscrutable expression on her face. "This is quite unusual, Miss Sato," she said. "I cannot sense your sound chakra at all when you attempt to speak. When I have talked with humans before, I have always been able to sense it projecting their speech. But now, even here, where I am at my most powerful, I can sense nothing."

Asami furrowed her brow, looking downward. After a moment, an idea struck her, and she looked up at Varina once more. She couldn't explain what she was going to try, so she simply went ahead with it. She began to hum, just a solid note right now. After a moment, she switched to a different note, and then another, making her way into a simple tune. The instruments surrounding the room caught the notes, amplifying and holding on to them. Even once she finished her tune, it took another few seconds before it finished echoing through the room.

Once the room had quieted once more, Asami opened her mouth to let out a solid note. Once she was sure she could hear it, she tried to slide it into speech, turning the note into the beginning of "I am Asami Sato." As she'd been expecting, the sound from her mouth cut off as soon as she tried to turn the note into a word, but this did seem to prompt a glimmer of understanding in Varina's expression.

Varina let a slight smile spread across her lips. "I see. Thank you very much, Miss Sato. I believe I have a good idea of what's going on, though I fear that it may be difficult to explain."

Asami nodded, smiling in relief. However difficult it was, she was willing to give it a try.

"In a general sense," Varina said. "I believe that the problem is not with the nature of your sound chakra. When you hummed a single note, I could sense its presence, and I could sense no issues with it. There was resistance when you hummed a tune, but not from within the chakra. Finally, when you attempted to speak, the resistance overwhelmed it, cutting it off from making even the slightest sound.

"Which is to say, the problem lies not in your sound chakra itself, but with how chi flows between it and the other chakras within your body. It is possible your sound chakra has become misaligned, causing chi to flow incorrectly through it, or possibly missing it entirely."

Asami nodded once more. She looked up into Varina's eyes and made a questioning expression, shrugging at the spirit, as she tried to get across the question of what they could do about it in this case.

"You wonder what you can do about it?" Varina asked. After Asami nodded, Varina was silent for a moment. She then spoke up, saying, "I may be able to help realign your sound chakra. But to do so, I would need to know exactly how it has been misaligned, which may be beyond my power. We know what the problem is, but this doesn't tell us why it is. Only by fully understanding this can you begin to correct it.

"I will, of course, do everything in my power to help you," Varina continued. Her face seemed to glow just a bit right now. "Both in your search for an answer, and in realigning your chakra once you have this answer."

Asami smiled at this. Even if she could speak right now, she couldn't thank Varina enough. She gave a polite bow, her grin growing just a bit wider. After a moment, she glanced over at Korra, and she almost burst into laughter as she caught the expression in the Avatar's eyes, which were currently showing a quite-cute pleading expression. Apparently Korra wasn't sure if she was allowed to speak yet. Asami glanced from Varina over to Korra, hoping to get the spirit's attention so she could let Korra speak now.

Varina's eyes moved over to look at Korra, and she let out a soft chuckle. "My apologies, Avatar Korra. You may of course speak now if you wish. I appreciate your efforts to refrain from making any sounds."

* * *

Korra traced her hand slowly along Asami's upper arm, gazing at her girlfriend's sleeping face. Maybe it was just Korra's imagination, but Asami looked a bit more content now than she had the previous night. Well, the previous time she'd slept; it wasn't actually night here right now. But in this room in the back of Varina's cave, where almost no light got in, it was just as good as night.

Asami deserved her rest right now. She'd had a long, mentally exhausting day. Korra still didn't understand exactly what Varina had done, and she doubted Asami did either, but Varina said it would give Asami the ability to realign her own chakras once she figured out how they'd gotten out of alignment in the first place. Korra certainly had no reason to distrust Varina; she was one of Korra's past lives, after all. Though the fact that she was still around and not just a connection within Korra's mind did make it feel a bit odd to think of the present Varina as being a "past" life of Korra. She was very much present.

Though, if Raava hadn't been destroyed by Unalaq three years ago, and Korra still had her connection to her past lives, how would that relate to the present Varina? Korra had never talked to Varina before, so she didn't know if she'd had any of Varina's memories from after she became a spirit. For that matter, she didn't know if she'd had any of Varina's memories from  _before_  she became a spirit. Had Varina ever actually become connected to any Avatars after her?

"Hmm…" Well, Varina didn't seem to need sleep, and Korra wasn't particularly sleepy right now. So perhaps now, when Asami was asleep, was a good time to pick the spirit's mind about Avatar stuff. Korra turned her head, looking over at Light, who was relaxing at the foot of her sleeping bag. "Hey, Light?" she said softly. "If Asami wakes up, mind telling her I'm talking with Varina?"

Light nodded at her. "Of course," he said. He flapped his ears, fluttering over to Asami's sleeping bag and lying down near her legs.

Korra smiled at the young spirit. "Thanks, Light," she said. She pulled herself slowly out of her sleeping bag, careful not to disturb Asami, and she made her way out of the room, in search of Varina.

Korra came upon Varina waiting at the entrance to the cave. She didn't seem to be doing much at all as Korra approached. She was simply hovering in the air, facing outward, her robes slowly flapping along with every slight gust of wind, and perhaps generating some gusts of their own. Did spirits even get bored? Perhaps Varina didn't mind doing nothing. She'd been a spirit for thousands of years now, so maybe it wasn't surprising if she was fine doing nothing for a long stretch of time. Though... there was actually a fair bit to listen to right now. The swamp wasn't particularly noisy, but there were certainly some faint sounds of spirits within it, so perhaps Varina was listening to that right now.

"Varina?" Korra said, slipping by the side of the spirit so she could face her. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, but I wonder if I could ask you some Avatar-related questions."

Varina's head turned down to face Korra, and she slowly nodded. "You may of course ask, Avatar Korra. I cannot promise that I can answer, however. I have not been the Avatar in quite a long time."

"Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to ask about," Korra said. She looked around for a moment. This could take some time, so a place to sit down would be nice. Not finding anything, she earthbended herself a quick rock stool and sat on it. "Er, so… how did that work then? You were the Avatar, but then you died, became a spirit… and so what happened with the Avatar spirit? How was it still able to move on? And did the next Avatar still have access to your memories?"

Varina turned her body, facing Korra directly now. Her face seemed to shift slightly, her features becoming more defined, and she somehow seemed to become just a bit more connected with the world around her. "I am afraid I cannot remember the specifics of it," she said. "Much as humans cannot remember the moment of their birth, or recognize their first thought for what it is, so can I not remember how I became a spirit. I have memories from when I was young, learning from older spirits, but I know nothing of the moment I actually became one."

"Oh," Korra said. "I guess that makes sense." Maybe Iroh would remember that part better, since it wasn't nearly as long since he'd become a spirit. She'd have to remember to ask him the next time she saw him. He wouldn't be able to answer what this meant about the Avatar spirit, though.

"I do remember some things I learned in my life as a human," Varina continued, "including some ideas that might help answer your question." Varina bent her knees, and her body lowered until she touched the ground. "I cannot promise that these ideas represent the truth. But perhaps they will provide a useful explanation, even if the truth is something neither of us can fully understand."

"Heh," Korra said, the corner of her lips pulling up into a grin. "Well, I'll take what I can get. I've learned not to force these things. Sometimes a good explanation is enough."

Varina nodded at Korra, her own lips pulling up into a slight smile. "When I was human, I was taught that everyone reincarnated upon death. I do not know if this is in fact true for everyone, but it is indeed so for the Avatar. I remember a good analogy used to explain this, though I cannot recall whether it was shown to me, or if it was something I came up with myself to show to others.

"Imagine that you have a row of unlit candles before you," Varina said. She brought her hands up in front of her, and she traced her fingers through the air. As her fingers moved, they left behind the ghostly images of three candles. She continued to move her fingers as she spoke, illustrating her analogy. "Each candle is a human at birth. It represents their body, the basic foundation of their mind, which gives them the ability to think, and the environment in which they will live."

Varina snapped her fingers, and a flame appeared on the wick of the left candle. "Somehow, a soul is born, though I cannot say how. It comes to reside within a human body, and the soul and body come together to form a human life. Here, the flame is this person. The flame came into being from some other source of power, but it draws strength from the candle, which keeps it lit. The candle shapes the flame, and the flame melts through the candle."

The candle began to shrink a bit, ghostly tendrils of wax seeping over its edges. "As time passes, the potential of the human body is used to fuel a life. It does not go away, though, just as the wax of a candle never disappears. It simply changes shape. Potential is turned into experience, until at last…" the candle shrunk even further, with barely any of the unmelted wax or unburnt wick left, "...experience is nearly all that's left."

Varina picked up the candle in the middle. She leaned it over, touching its wick to the wick of the dying candle. The flame lit the new candle, and moments after she pulled it away, the flame on the old candle finally died off. "In reincarnation, the dying light of one soul is used to set alight a new soul. The souls exist in a continuum with each other, but they are nevertheless distinct, each shaped by the bodies they reside in and their experiences growing up. And so, although your soul was brought into being from that of the Avatar before you, and will always have a bit of them in it, it is still something new and distinct."

"Now," Varina said. She placed the second candle down again. "Through meditation, it was believed we could all get a glimpse at the experiences in our past lives." Varina motioned with her hand to the melted candle on the left. "But crossing the gap to find it is far from easy, and few claimed to be able to do it. The Avatar spirit makes this much easier. Each time one soul is lit afire from a dying soul, the spirit maintains a connection to the past soul." Varina brought her finger to the burnt-out wick of the first candle, and traced a path of light to the flame of the second candle. "And so, even when the person is gone, their experiences can still be drawn upon by the next Avatar."

Korra nodded. "Okay, I think I follow… mostly." It seemed to make sense to her, but her history with spiritual matters had her suspecting she still didn't quite get it. "So then, when you became a spirit, what happened with your candle? Er… body. Experiences?"

"I cannot say for certain," Varina said, "but I believe it remained part of the Avatar spirit, and Avatars after me could communicate with it. What differed was what happened when my soul's flame was about to die out." Varina waved her hand near the second candle, and it burned down to the base. The flame on it weakened, and it seemed just about ready to die off. Varina picked up the third candle and dipped its wick into the flame, setting it alight. As she pulled it away, a golden thread came with it, connecting this candle to the previous one.

"After my soul gave birth to the next Avatar's, it took a different path from most. Rather than dying as most humans do, and going where their souls go upon death, my soul slipped into the spirit world upon death and changed form into something similar to what you see now." The faint flame from the second candle leaped off of it, and Varina caught it in her outstretched hand. The glow from where it landed slowly grew until it filled her body, and then it faded away.

"I see…" Korra said. She blinked. Something was nagging at the back of her mind. "So… if there is an afterlife for humans, does this mean you can never go there? You can never reunite with those people you lost in your human life?"

Varina's head tilted to the side. Her eyes met Korra, compassion showing in them now. "You might be correct," she said. She shifted, sitting back now, and the candles in front of her faded. "But my theories might be wrong as well. Perhaps part of me is indeed in that afterlife, reconnecting with those I cared for, and the rest of me is here with you now."

Korra let out a slow breath, dropping her gaze downward. "I hope so…" she said softly, more to herself than to Varina. She smiled weakly, trying to focus on the latter possibility.

"Avatar Korra…" Varina said. She reached out a hand, placing it gently on Korra's knee. "Please do not let this bother you. This would not have happened if it were not what I felt best."

"Right…" Korra said, nodding. She took a slow breath. "I guess that applies to Iroh too, then… Well, even if he chose this path… I guess, I just hope part of him can reconnect with his lost son."

"Is that what is truly bothering you?" Varina said. Her body drifted closer to Korra's. Korra looked up at the spirit, finding a soft smile on her face. "Do not worry, Avatar. Iroh's soul is at peace. The spirit who you've met might not meet his human life's son, but Lu Ten will always be a part of Iroh. Iroh accepted this in life, and he embraced his new destiny. It was because of this acceptance, and because of his strong purpose throughout the remainder of life that he has become a spirit now. Death may be sad, Korra, but the toughest part is for those who must live on. Iroh has made it through that, and he is living on quite peacefully as a spirit."

"Those who live on…" Korra repeated. Asami's face flashed through her mind. She'd seen the brief reflection of pain in it as Asami was trying to speak to Varina earlier. Asami still hadn't been able to move on from the death of her father. She'd been distracting herself, pushing it away. She'd only barely begun to face the truth. "Right. That's what I should focus on, then." After a moment, Korra let out a brief chuckle and shook her head, a slight grin on her face now. "Sorry. I didn't mean to try to find problems you or Iroh should be having. I'll focus on Asami's problems."

Varina pulled back. "That is a wise choice, Avatar. But be careful not to lie to yourself."

"Lie to myself?" Korra tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at Varina. "About what?"

"They aren't simply Asami's problems," Varina said. "Your voice gave you away in those two words. I can always hear a lie, even one spoken in the belief that it is the truth."

"Oh," Korra said. She glanced down for a moment, then back up at Varina. With a nod, she stood up from her seat. "Yeah, you're right. They're my problems too. And we'll solve them together."


	14. That Which has been Denied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varina's gift allows Asami some insight into how she might solve her problem, if she can only puzzle out the clues her mind is providing her.

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 3:**  That Which has been Denied

* * *

Dizziness was the last thing Asami remembered. She'd crawled into her sleeping bag, falling asleep even before the dizziness had completely faded. Varina had warned her that her "blessing," as she'd called it, would likely do a number on Asami, so she'd been ready for it at least, and she'd wasted no time in getting to her sleeping bag.

One of Korra's warnings about the spirit world had been that spirits could possess humans for a short time, which would leave them permanently altered. Korra hadn't heard of it happening in a long time though, so it wasn't much of a worry, particularly with her around. Though it did make Asami wonder if perhaps what Varina had done with her was related to that in some way. Varina had mentioned that the real difficulty was in holding back, after all. Hopefully she'd gotten it right and there weren't any physical changes.

Of course, Asami would have to wait until she woke up to be able to check on that. Right now she was still sorting through what the mental changes might be. At least now that she was asleep, the world had stopped spinning. She did still seem to be in the same place, though. Still in her sleeping bag, still in the back room of Varina's cave. She was definitely dreaming, though. She didn't know how she knew. She just knew.

Well, lying here wasn't getting anything done. Maybe if she looked around a bit, she'd get some insight into something.

"You need insight. I can help you with that."

That voice. Asami sat up, looking toward the doorway. The light in here was dim right now, but it wasn't hard at all to make out who was there: Izin. At least, it was probably Izin. His eyes seemed to be glowing right now, and there was a circular mark on his forehead. His eyes usually appeared pretty sharp, but the glow was new. It wasn't quite an Avatar-state glow, but it certainly wasn't normal. But… what was he doing here? Why was he in her mind? Did she dream him up?

"Not exactly," Izin said, stepping into the room.

As he approached, Asami was able to get a better look at the marking on his forehead. It was a white circle, with a downward-pointing triangle inside of it, and what looked like a pair of leaves on either side. While the design was different, Asami couldn't help but think of the tattoo P'Li had had on her forehead in the same spot, used to amplify her firebending abilities and direct her explosive power. But why did Izin have a tattoo there?

"Well, first of all, I'm not Izin," Izin said. Or, well, the person who looked a lot like Izin said. He knelt down near Asami as he continued, "Technically speaking, I'm the anthropomorphic personification of your light chakra." He brought a hand up, pointing to the mark on his forehead, which glowed for a moment as he tapped it. "You remembered how Izin's eyes always seemed to stand out, and you subconsciously related that to the light chakra, so that's how I appear to you now. Oh, and on that subject, there might actually be something interesting going on with his light chakra. His eyes really are unnatural."

Asami raised an eyebrow. He could read her thoughts? Well, okay, he was a part of her mind. Of course he could. She nodded at him, remembering Varina's primer on the body's chakras. The light chakra was in charge of insight, primarily. So if any part of her could figure out what had gotten her chakras out of alignment, this was it. It was a bit awkward that it looked like Izin, but she could deal with it.

"I wouldn't look like Izin if you weren't still carrying him around with you," the light chakra said. He leaned back, taking a seat across from Asami. "That's not a bad thing, though, unless you make it one. Problem is, I'm afraid you might be doing just that."

Asami furrowed her brow. As the chakra spoke, she could feel her mind beginning to piece things together. Whatever Varina had done to her, it seemed to be working. It might not be the problem she was hoping to solve, but she was getting something out of this at least. She nodded at the chakra, letting out a sigh.

"Maybe you're right…" she tried to say. No words came out of her mouth, but she knew the chakra would get the message anyway. "I turned him down for Korra, and caused him a lot of pain. And so maybe I'm hoping that if things go well with Korra, it will be worth the pain I caused him. That… really isn't the best reason in the world to go forward with a relationship." Asami sighed, looking downward for a moment. "Not that I don't want to be in a relationship with Korra anyway… but I don't want this to be a reason. I don't want to fear that if things somehow don't work out with Korra, I'll have hurt Izin for no reason. I just don't know how to stop feeling that."

Silence filled the room for a moment. "Realizing it is a good first step. There's nothing you can do to change the past. You can change the future though." The chakra paused for a moment, and Asami looked up at it. Its eyes seemed a bit more human now, a bit more like Izin's. "Izin said that the universe doesn't play dice with us. It might be better for you to think that sometimes it does. Whatever game it is, I think there are two key facts here. First, we can never see all the pieces in play, and so we might make some wrong moves. And second, we are playing the game. The universe may choose what choices we have, but we're always the ones to decide."

Something flashed in the chakra's eyes as it spoke this last part. For a moment, Asami felt like she was back within her memories in the Tree of Time, in one of the moments when Korra had pulled out of her body. She was in connection with something deeper for just a moment, and her chakra was speaking from that connection. But as soon as she'd realized it, it was gone.

"It's time to wake up," the chakra said. It pulled back, pushing itself up to its feet. Its eyes slowly began to glow with a powerful red light. "Time is on your side, Asami," it said. The feeling of connection came back, and the mark on the chakra's forehead seemed to open up, fire spilling out of it. Just as fire filled the room and Asami found herself being pulled from the dream, one more sentence echoed in her mind: "But fate may not be."

* * *

Asami leaped back, avoiding the creature just as it burst from the ground beneath her feet.

"Avatar and Companion-whose-relationship-to-the-Avatar-is-not-clear, you are thanked for making haste to the abode of Master Sheng," the creature said. It seemed to be constructed of black wires, and looked identical to the one Asami and Korra had seen the day they arrived in the spirit world, and possibly even the same creature. "Unfortunately, Master Sheng is not currently present at his abode. He is indubitably aware of your presence and will arrive shortly, and so you are invited to wait inside or return shortly. Thank you."

The creature tapped its long arm on the ground twice, and its body unwound into it. Within moments, the creature had vanished, with no trace that it had been there in the first place. Asami stared at the spot where the creature had stood for a moment, going over its words in her mind. They hadn't exactly been hasty in getting here. Perhaps it meant after they'd learned the tunnel was complete? Would it have even known about when they found that out?

"Huh," Korra said, taking a step forward. She glanced from one side to the other, looking at the two large trees on either side of the path which apparently marked the entrance to Master Sheng's land. "I guess that means we're here," she said. She turned back to Asami and said, "You wanna head in then? There might be someplace to sit and wait for him past here."

Asami nodded at this. They were invited in, after all. There was no reason to head out and return later if Master Sheng wasn't going to be away long.

"Um, Avatar?" Light said. He flew in, coming to a perch on Asami's shoulder. "I probably shouldn't go with you then. Only you and Asami were invited. It might not be a good idea for me to enter his home without an invitation."

"Oh," Korra said. She blinked, then turned back to the entrance to Master Sheng's lands. She looked around either side of the trees for a moment, then turned back. "It should be fine. I mean, it's not like there's any door or anything, and there's no fence. Spirits must wander in all the time, right?"

Asami raised an eyebrow at Korra. She knew Korra had bonded with the light spirit, but Korra had made sure to warn Asami about the perils of dealing with powerful spirits. The risk here really wasn't worth it. Thankfully, Korra seemed to pick up on the expression on Asami's face, and she slumped her shoulders a bit.

"It's alright," Light said, shaking his head. "There are plenty of new places around here I can explore. I think maybe I'll go check out that big tree you pointed out earlier."

Korra was silent for a moment, an almost imperceptible pout on her face. "Alright," she said eventually. "Let's meet up back at Varina's place this eveni- Er… when we're all done. I'll reach out to you if you aren't back there when we get back."

Light nodded at Korra, and he hopped off of Asami's shoulder. Asami reached out, giving his head a quick pat as he hovered in the air near her. He flew over to Korra, receiving a pat and a smile from her. "I'll see you soon, Avatar, Asami," he said, before flying off, back along the path.

Asami turned, following Light with her gaze until the spirit was out of sight, before she turned back to Korra. She nodded slowly at her girlfriend, giving Korra a soft smile, and she stepped forward.

As soon as Asami's foot hit the ground, the black wire creature from before popped out of it in front of her once more. "Avatar and Companion-whose-relationship-to-the-Avatar-is-not-clear, you are thanked for making haste to the abode of Master Sheng," the creature said. Asami blinked, staring at it. Once she'd gotten over her surprise, she'd been expecting it to say that Master Sheng had arrived. But no, it went through exactly the same speech as it had before, word-for-word.

The creature finished again with the same invitation to enter or come back, then once more unwound itself into the ground. Asami let out a chuckle. So, it seemed this creature was a construct of Master Sheng, set out to deliver a recorded message. When they'd first encountered it a few days ago, it had played the role of a letter, and now it was a "Back in five minutes" sign.

Asami looked up at Korra, who still seemed to be confused about the creature. It took Korra a couple more moments before she seemed to figure out what was going on here. "Aha, okay," she said, looking over at Asami. "Anyway, should we head in?" Asami nodded at Korra. She stepped up beside her girlfriend, walking astride her as they passed between the trees.

The world seemed to twist as Asami's foot took its first step past the two trees. Asami found herself leaning rapidly away from Korra, and she instinctively reached out a hand to her. Korra was on the same page, and their hands managed to clasp together before they were too far apart. They couldn't stop the twisting of the world, but Asami was able to hold onto the Avatar's hand enough that instead of being twisted away with it, she ended up falling off of it.

Asami found herself suspended from Korra's grip. "Hold on," Korra said, her voice calm and focused. She looked down - or perhaps up - at Asami, her gaze confident. "Just let me earthbend you to safety."

Asami breathed slowly, trying to remain calm. She focused on the ground, which seemed to be bent at an odd angle now. Korra used her free hand to guide out a slab of earth from it. She slowly moved it toward Asami, though it took a couple tries before she managed to get the angle right in this twisted world, and she brought it beneath Asami's feet. Asami let her feet relax onto the slab, and she let out a sigh of relief. She looked up at Korra and nodded. Time to try bringing her back in.

The earth pulled up on Asami, bringing her closer to Korra. She felt herself getting lighter as she neared, and she opened her mouth to try to warn Korra that she was about to fall, muteness momentarily forgotten. No words made it through Asami's lips before gravity overtook her, flipping her over and tumbling her into Korra's waiting arms.

Korra cocked a grin as she looked down at Asami. "No need to worry, Asami. I'm not going to be caught off-guard by gravity flipping itself again." Still smiling, Korra took a slow step forward, not even letting Asami out of her arms first.

The world twisted just a bit more, and dizziness began to hit Asami. Perhaps it was due to the swamp twisting itself into an alien geometry. It was still barely possible for her mind to make sense of it, but as Korra took one more step, and the ground in front of them seemed to fold across itself, Asami's mind officially gave up.

"Um…" Korra said as she took an awkward step forward. "I'm gonna... let you down now. Think I just need to close my eyes for a moment. Getting a bit… dizzy…" Korra's arms suddenly loosened. For a moment, Asami felt herself falling. She braced herself for the impact as she hit the ground, but it never came.

* * *

Korra blinked, trying to focus. The world seemed to have straightened itself out, though it wasn't at all where she was before. She was still in a crystalline swamp, standing on a path cutting through it, but there was now a large junction in front of her, the path branching off in five different directions. At the center of the junction stood a black wire creature like the one who'd greeted her and Asami at the entrance to Master Sheng's lands.

That was weird. But it was the spirit world, so weird didn't bother Korra here. The part that bothered Korra was the fact that Asami was nowhere in sight. "Asami?" she called out, spinning in place to look for any trace of her friend. "Asami, if you can hear me, make a noise, anything!"

"Do not worry, Avatar." Korra turned to the creature at the center of the junction. It had just spoken to her. It had reacted to what she'd just said, in fact. This one wasn't just a message left behind by Master Sheng. "Your companion is safe," it continued. "You are both merely asleep momentarily, while Master Sheng's wards determine if you are worthy to enter his domain. For humans like you, it should be no trouble. In any case, the worst that could happen is that you will be ejected without harm."

Korra eyed the creature, taking a couple steps toward it. Wards, it had said. So, Master Sheng had set up spells to keep his home secure. That explained why she hadn't seen any fences or other barriers around it. "You know, we were invited in," she said. "Is this really necessary?"

"Perhaps not," the creature said. "But at this point, it is. Now!" The creature tapped its long arm on the ground. "Let us begin. You see around you six possible paths you may take. Your task is simple. Select the correct path, and you will wake up within the lands of Master Sheng. Select incorrectly, and you will wake up outside of it."

Korra glanced around her. Six… okay, so the five branches, plus the path behind her, where she'd entered. "Okay…" she said, looking back at the creature. This really wasn't enough to go on here. "So, which is the correct path?"

"The one behind you," the creature replied.

Korra blinked. "Wait. That's it? You're just going to tell me?"

"Yes."

"No riddle? I mean… I thought this was a test." Korra narrowed her eyes. "Shouldn't you be asking me something like, um... Okay, I don't know any good riddles. But I know this isn't one!"

"This is not supposed to be a riddle," the creature said. "It is a test. And you passed."

"A test…" Korra said. She pulled her head back, eyeing the creature suspiciously. "Okay… so… what's it testing?"

"Whether or not you would think to ask a question," the creature said. "Master Sheng has been dismayed at how many spirits and animals would never think to do this. He considers it a waste of the power of speech if one never uses it connect with others and gain knowledge from them. He is happy to share with anyone who wishes to learn from him, but if someone will never think to ask a question, his time is wasted. He has thus set up these wards so that he will not be bothered by lesser spirits and animals who will not be worth his time, even if they do have the power of speech."

"Hmm." Korra crossed her arms. Well, it was prideful, but that wasn't exactly surprising with an older spirit. At least it wasn't malicious. "Alright," she said. "Thanks for explaining that to me. I guess I'll be off to head into Master Sheng's lands now." She gave the creature a polite bow.

"You are welcome, Avatar," the creature replied.

Korra nodded at it once more, then turned around, following the path behind her. As she stepped down it, the world around her began to glow white.

* * *

"You see around you six possible paths you may take. Your task is simple. Select the correct path, and you will wake up within the lands of Master Sheng. Select incorrectly, and you will wake up outside of it," the creature said.

Asami narrowed her eyes at it. Was that all she was being given to go on? No hints as to which path was correct? She opened her mouth, about to complain, but then shut it. Of course that wasn't going to work. Even in her dreams, she still couldn't speak. Maybe there was another hint around the area that she was supposed to find.

With a slightly-frustrated sigh, Asami turned to the path behind her, checking it for anything that might be a clue. This wasn't exactly a warm welcome from Master Sheng. Though to be fair, he wasn't home right now. When she left her estate, it wasn't as if she left the gate wide open. So Asami supposed she could understand him leaving some security in place.

Nothing stood out to her in this path, though perhaps something would seem different in comparison with another. Asami moved to the path off to her right, searching over it for any differences. There did seem to be a few differences, but it was all simply natural variation. No obvious hints here. She continued her search for clues, heading on to the next path, and then the next, until she'd finally made a full circle.

"Need some help, Asami?" came a young woman's voice from behind Asami.

Asami spun in place. For a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of what looked like a reflection of herself, but it was gone before she could focus on it. There wasn't any surface it could have been reflecting off of, though. Perhaps it hadn't been a reflection. Maybe it was a projection of herself, like in her dream a few nights ago, and that was her own voice she'd heard. The creature had mentioned that she was asleep now, so perhaps it wasn't surprising to see and hear an aspect of herself like that. Well, whatever it was, she did need help, from within or without.

"Are you serious about 'without'?" the voice said.

Once more, Asami was able to catch a glimpse of its source. It was herself, alright, and once more a younger version of herself. She also caught sight of an odd bluish glow from the figure's throat. Was this her sound chakra perhaps? That might make sense. That would explain why she could only get brief glances of the figure; Varina had told her that her sound chakra was out of alignment.

Asami turned to where she'd last seen the figure appear. It was a part of her, but asking if she was serious about accepting help from without. Whatever it might have in mind, she was willing to give it a try. She nodded at where it had been. As soon as she did, the figure faded back in, its side to Asami now. It faced the creature who had stood silently at the center of the junction and said, "Can you tell us anything else to help us determine the correct path?"

"Yes, I can," the creature replied.

Asami grinned at the image of herself. Now that it was remaining visible, she could see that there definitely was a blue mark on its throat, though she couldn't make out its shape from this angle.

"Well, then what can you tell us?" the chakra asked.

"I can tell you that the correct path is the one presently behind Miss Sato and to her left," the creature said.

Asami blinked. That was it? It was just going to tell them when asked? That was easy. Well… not exactly easy, given that she couldn't speak right now. She chuckled, then bowed at the creature thankfully. She turned to her chakra, ready to thank it as well, but it had vanished once more by the time she turned to it.

Asami let out a sigh. At least it had been there when she needed it. Much like when she'd been trapped underground with Korra, she'd been able to speak when it was critical. When she needed help.

Was that it? Or at least part of it? She could speak when she needed help? Maybe… Maybe it was at least part of the problem. She'd have to hold on to that possibility. It might not be everything, but it was something.

Asami turned to the path the creature had indicated. As she took her first step down it, the world began to turn white. Against the white backdrop, she could make out a distant figure blocking out some of the light. She held her hand up to her forehead, trying to get a better look at it. Was that… Korra?

"Remember your dream, Asami," came Korra's voice. It was distant, barely audible, but the words were clear.

Asami stepped forward, approaching the figure. The world filled almost completely with white, with only Korra's figure standing against it. As Asami approached, it began to look like Korra was in fact in the Avatar state. There was something glowing on her forehead as well. She'd heard that Avatar Aang's forehead tattoo glowed when he was in the Avatar state, but nothing like that had ever been the case with Korra. So then this was… most likely another chakra of hers. Her thought chakra, judging from its position, the chakra which connected humans to the energy of the cosmos, and which was the source of their consciousness and the power of their other chakras.

The figure pulled back, rising off the ground as Asami neared it. The white of the world began to overwhelm even her vision of the chakra, but she could still hear it speak: "Find your humanity. Reconnect with it, and speak once more."

Her… humanity? Asami's mind focused on the word, pondering its meaning as the world around her faded. How could she be missing her humanity? What did that even mean? Why did her chakra have to speak in riddles? Wasn't it supposed to be helping her? Maybe that was all it knew, or all it could say.

Whatever it was, at least the answer felt like it was finally getting close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's been reading this so far. Just to let you all know, there's been a death in my family, so depending on how my emotional state holds up, I may not be able to make next week's update on time. I hope you understand.


	15. In The Garden of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami seek out Master Sheng, but they're soon to receive another invitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who sent me their condolences after the last chapter. It really means a lot to me. And once more, thanks to my beta, Raijin Tora, both for her proofreading and for her support as of late.

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 4:**  In The Garden of Fate

* * *

_**Twenty-three years ago…** _

I wait, and I watch.

Humans think they notice as their world is changing. For the most part, they are correct. But they always miss the seeds of this change, and so they are powerless to stop it. Even I sometimes fail to notice a seed until it is too late. Such happened with the boy in the iceberg, the Avatar Aang. I missed the seed that led to him deciding to flee and becoming entombed in the iceberg for a century, and so the world's course was forever altered.

Even now, this event is still causing change, and planting new seeds. Because the Avatar Aang used the Avatar state to maintain his life for such a long time, his life is expiring sooner than it otherwise would. He prepares for his imminent passing, and in doing so he unknowingly plants a seed which will bring the world to the edge of destruction.

Unalaq, of the Northern Water Tribe, member of the Red Lotus, learns of Avatar Aang's coming death through spies within the White Lotus, who are now preparing to seek out and protect the new Avatar. He aims to subvert their plans, and bring the next Avatar under his own influence. The threads of fate are clear; he cannot succeed at this, though he does not know it. But his lust for power makes him the perfect ally for Vaatu, the imprisoned spirit of darkness.

Should Vaatu succeed, he will bring a greater change to the world than any human alive now thinks possible. Should he fail, he might still be released from his imprisonment, and even the new Avatar might be unable to confine him. If he is defeated, he will eventually be reborn from Raava, the light spirit within the Avatar. Even I cannot predict what might happen should this occur. It must be avoided.

The time for waiting has ended. I must act.

* * *

_**Now...** _

"Asami!"

Korra's voice was followed by the sound of footsteps running toward Asami. It took her a moment to piece together what was going on. She was lying down on her side right now, her eyes still closed, as if she were just waking up from a normal sleep. Asami opened her eyes, taking a moment to look around.

Purple. It was as if she were seeing the world through purple-tinted glasses. Everything seemed to be a shade of purple, or perhaps pink or magenta, though otherwise it seemed the world was just as it had been when she'd left. She was still on a path in a swamp, various crystals visible among the plants, and with two large trees framing the path.

"You made it through!"

Asami turned her head in the direction of Korra's voice. It wasn't hard at all to pick her out; she was the only thing in sight that had any colors other than purple. Though oddly, this just ended up feeling stranger than if she had been purple. It made Korra look quite out-of place here. That wasn't fair, though. Korra was exactly as she was supposed to be. It was the rest of the world that was off.

Smiling at her girlfriend, Asami pushed herself up to a sitting position. Korra reached a hand out to her, and Asami took it, letting Korra pull her up to her feet. Asami gave Korra a nod of thanks, then raised an eyebrow. It seemed Korra had likely been awake for longer, so Asami was beginning to wonder if the other woman had found anything out yet.

"Oh, well, I was getting a bit worried when I didn't see you after a while," Korra said, cracking a slight grin. "But I guess you figured out your own way through the test."

Asami nodded at this. It seemed she wasn't getting much better at getting across her intentions to Korra without words yet. Or perhaps Korra wasn't getting much better at figuring it out. Asami tried again, raising her eyebrow again and widening her eyes before looking around, then back to Korra.

"Oh!" Korra said, realization dawning in her eyes. "Well, I didn't want to get too far away, in case you showed up here," she said. "So I haven't really looked much. This is a weird place, though. There's a lot of energy flowing through here, though it doesn't really feel like spiritual energy to me. Haven't quite figured out what it is yet."

"Food."

"No, that's not it. It's more li-" Korra trailed off. She blinked at Asami for a moment, then looked upward. Asami followed her friend's gaze, trying to figure out who or what had just said that. It had come from somewhere up above them, in a strange, high-pitched voice.

It didn't take long before Asami saw something: a cat owl, perched on one of the trees that framed the entrance to Master Sheng's lands. Like herself and Korra, it too had more than shades of purple in its coloration. As she looked at it, it caught her gaze and opened its mouth. "Food," it said again.

"Okay… um… we know you aren't a cat owl," Korra said. "They don't talk. So you can show us your real form if you want."

The cat owl stared back at Korra for a minute. There was no sign of understanding in its eyes. It slowly blinked at Korra, then turned its head away, likely deciding she wasn't going to be a good source of food.

"Huh… okay then," Korra said. "Talking cat owl. Far from the weirdest thing I've seen in the spirit world. Guess that explains why it doesn't really feel like a spirit." She shrugged, then turned to Asami. "Want to look around a bit?"

"Food."

"Not you!"

A laugh broke free from Asami's throat. The cat owl might not be particularly intelligent, but it did seem to have good timing.

* * *

They were walking in circles. At least, they should have been walking in circles. They'd made four right turns, and they'd been walking far enough that by all rights they should have ended up back where they'd entered Master Sheng's lands. Asami paused in her step, furrowing her brow. Given all she'd seen so far in the spirit world, this wasn't impossible. It was a bit frustrating, though. It meant if they wanted to get back to where they'd entered - which was probably a good idea, as it was likely where Master Sheng would be looking for them - the only sure way was to retrace their steps.

Asami turned to Korra, ready to try to indicate to her girlfriend that they should try turning back, but before she could do so, Korra reached out and grabbed Asami's wrist. "A spirit," Korra said. She glanced at Asami briefly, then looked around. "Hello?" she called out. "Is someone there? Don't worry, we're friendly."

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Asami glanced around, and she soon caught sight of motion out of the corner of her eye. Off to their side, the murky water of the swamp seemed to be shifting. Asami grabbed Korra's arm, then pointed to this spot. As they watched, a green creature slowly rose out of the water. It appeared to be mostly an amalgamation of swamp plants and moss, though the green color betrayed the fact that it wasn't simply local flora.

The creature took on a vaguely humanoid form, and the plants near where its face would be move from side to side as a child-like voice came out. "Are you looking for Master Sheng too?"

Korra stepped toward the creature, nodding at it. "We are," she said. "Well, we're waiting for him. He asked us to meet him here, but he wasn't here when we arrived, so we're looking around while we wait."

"He isn't here?" The creature said. Something about its posture changed, though Asami was at a complete loss when it came to reading its body language. "I guess that would explain why I haven't been able to find him."

Korra nodded again. "Have you been looking long?"

The creature's body shifted again, and it said, "Ever since my brother was born. I can't keep track of time here, but I think it's been about ten pulses or so…"

"Pulses?"

One more shift in the creature's posture. It seemed to be looking directly at Korra now, if Asami had to guess. "Are you new to Zhi-Wen Valley? There's a big crystal here that makes sounds at a steady rate. We use its pulses to keep track of time."

"Ah, okay," Korra said. She nodded, then reached a hand up to scratch the back of her neck. "We haven't seen that crystal, so I guess we can't really say how long that is. Or… heard it, for that matter."

Asami narrowed her eyes as she thought about this. They'd been here for quite a while, and they hadn't heard any pulses of sound like that. It was possible it was at a frequency humans couldn't hear, but loud enough for these spirits to hear throughout the valley. It would be interesting to look into that later, once they were done here.

"Oh. Well, it's been a while," the creature said, shifting its body in a way that almost looked sad. "I wanted to ask him if he could help my brother…"

"Your brother? What's wrong with him?" Korra said. She gave the creature a smile. "Maybe I can help. I'm actually the Avatar. I know a few ways to help spirits."

The creature moved, perhaps curiously. "Maybe. My brother hasn't been able to speak since he was born. I came here to ask Master Sheng if perhaps he'd forgotten about my brother, and if he could help him out now. But I can't do that if Master Sheng isn't here."

Asami's eyes widened. She reached out and grabbed Korra's forearm, shooting her girlfriend a meaningful glance, hoping Korra had picked up on the implication there as well.

Korra looked back at Asami, and it was clear from the look in her eyes that she was just as excited. She turned back to the spirit and said, "Um, could you maybe help clarify for us. What type of spirit is Master Sheng, anyway? We've never met him before. I mean, like, what does he do?"

"Master Sheng is the one who gives voice to me and my brothers and sisters when we are born," the spirit said. "That's why I'm worried that he might have forgotten about my brother."

Korra glanced at Asami, then back at the spirit. "If he can give voice, can he take it away as well? My friend lost her voice a few days ago, not long after we received an invitation from Master Sheng."

The spirit moved suddenly, backing up away from Korra and Asami. "I… I don't know if he could. Maybe he could. He's pretty powerful. But he wouldn't. Master Sheng loves speech, and he loves when we use his gift. There's nothing he hates more than when we keep silent and hide things from each other. But even then, he just lets us know why that's a problem. And your friend… I don't know why he wouldn't do the same for her."

Unless he couldn't. Asami brought her hand to Korra's, and she glanced between Korra and the spirit. Just how long were ten pulses, anyway? The message at the entrance to his lands made it sound like he was planning to be back soon, or would at least get back soon once they'd arrived, but they still hadn't seen him. What if something had happened to him?

It might not explain why Asami had lost her voice in the first place, but it would explain why Master Sheng hadn't restored it. That did raise the question though: What had happened to him?

* * *

"I guess he's not coming…" Korra said as they reached the trees that marked the exit from Master Sheng's lands. She paused in her step, looking back up at the trees. Asami followed her gaze, noticing the cat owl still perched on the branches of one of the trees. "So I guess that explains the talking cat owl. You're Master Sheng's pet, right?"

The cat own turned its head to the side. Asami was expecting it to reply with another utterance of "Food" to this, but it remained silent this time.

Korra let out a chuckle. She shook her head, then turned to Asami. "You know…" she said. "It occurs to me… a lot of powerful spirits seem to have opposites of some sort. Raava and Vaatu, Tui and La, the Mother of Faces and Koh the Face Stealer. Maybe Master Sheng is the same way, and there's an opposite voice-stealing spirit somewhere. Maybe like Raava and Vaatu, they fight, and that one got the upper hand this time, which is why Master Sheng can't help you out now."

Asami tilted her head. It wasn't a bad theory. Although… maybe it didn't quite fit with what Varina had told her about what had happened with her voice. If it was due to a misalignment of her chakras, that didn't really sound like the work of a voice-stealing spirit. Asami shrugged at Korra. It was still possible, but the real question was, where to go from here? Perhaps they'd have to ask around in the valley for more information.

That could wait for later though. Right now, it was probably time to rendezvous with Light. Asami pointed to the trees, then mimed a flying spirit with her hands. For once, Korra seemed to get the message.

"Ah, right," Korra said, smiling. "Let's go and see if Light is back at Varina's now. It'll be interesting to see if he found anything interesting in that tree."

* * *

The tree turned out to be farther away that Light had expected, and a lot bigger as well. He supposed he wasn't really expecting it to turn out to be as big as the Tree of Time; one tree that large was odd enough, but a second? This was really surprising. And as he got closer, he found that the shape of this tree matched the Tree of Time perfectly as well. It was as if someone had sculpted a copy of the Tree of Time, as exact as they could make it.

How was it that something like this could be here, and he'd never heard of it before? Perhaps few spirits ever traveled between Zhi-Wen Valley and the rest of the spirit world. It had taken a spirit digging them a tunnel to get here, after all. Though there should have been rumors, legends about it… Although, Varina had called it the "Tree of Eternity," so perhaps the similar name - and other similar characteristics - had resulted in its legends getting mixed up with the Tree of Time.

Light flew down, coming to a rest on one of the roots of the tree. Up until this moment, the only difference between this tree and the Tree of Time he'd noticed was its location. But as soon as he touched it, he could feel that something else was different. The energy flowing through this tree had a distinctively different feeling to it. Like the Tree of Time, this tree had an ancient, mighty feeling to it. It was a different type of might, though Light had a hard time figuring out how to describe it. It was… the might of something that had always been here, while the Tree of Time was mighty like something that always would always be here into the future.

Or maybe that was just Light's mind trying to make sense of it. It was different, in any case. This wasn't simply an extension of the same tree, though it was hard to deny the similarity. Wondering what else might be similar or different, Light flapped his ears once more, lifting off and bringing himself toward the large hollow in the heart of the tree.

As he approached, Light began to sense another presence. A powerful spirit was already inside the hollow. Light slowed down as he neared, tentatively landing on the edge of the opening so he could peek in, wary of disturbing a spirit who might not be too keen on being interrupted.

A figure was indeed in the center of the hollow, but it didn't react to Light's presence. It had the rough shape of a human, though its upper body looked more like the head of a frog, albeit with a rather large, human-like mouth. It sat crossed-legged, its eyes closed, and its hands grasping either end of a cane that lay across its lap. Its skin was a pale green, as if faded into grey through years of age. It wore only a necklace, with a brown stone of some sort positioned in front of its throat.

It didn't seem to be reacting to Light's presence, so the young spirit tentatively flew into the tree. Was this other spirit meditating? That would be very strange. Only humans had ever meditated. As far as Light knew, spirits had no need. So why-

As Light pondered this question, he found his body sitting down of its own accord. Something was guiding him. Even when his mind caught up to what was happening, he couldn't resist it. Soon, his eyes fell closed, and his mind began to clear.

* * *

"My apologies, spirit of light," I say as the spirit brings form to his body within the cosmic realm. "My means of communication are limited." I give the spirit some time to find himself here, and to get his bearings. I do not wish to anger him. I need his help, after all.

The spirit eventually conjures an image of my tree for himself. Perhaps it comforts him to imagine himself back where he left the spirit realm. He sits in the center of its hollow, looking up, searching for something.

"Okay…" the spirit says slowly. I do not sense fear in his voice, but I do sense nervousness. "Where are you? I don't see anyone here."

"I am everywhere," I reply, "in every time." This answer doesn't seem to satisfy the spirit, however. Perhaps I misinterpreted his question. "The part of me which is most like your mind is near to what you know as the Tree of Eternity. That is where your body is now, and so that is why we are able to communicate."

The spirit turns around in place, looking at the tree surrounding him. After a moment, he sits back down. For some reason, he looks upward, as if I might be more there than elsewhere. "Alright. Did you want to talk to me?"

"I do," I say. "I wish for you to relay a message for me to the one you know as Avatar Korra."

"Oh," the spirit says. His ears twitch for a moment. "I can do that. What do you want to say to her?"

"Tell her that there is a matter of great importance I must discuss with her. I wish for her to come to this tree, as this is the only place where I will be able to connect with the spirit inside of her so that we might communicate directly. In return for this, I will set events in order such that her companion will be able to speak once more."

The spirit nods, a smile crossing his features. "Of course. I'll do that for you," he says.

"Your assistance is appreciated," I say. "I will allow you to awaken now."

* * *

Something grabbed onto Light. He wasn't awake just yet. Whatever this was, it was preventing him from waking up. The world had shifted around him. The tree appeared in shades of pink and purple, and it glistened as if made from crystal. As Light turned, he caught sight of the other spirit he'd seen within the tree. It was awake, and its hand had reached out to grasp onto Light's leg.

"I do not have much time before it notices," the spirit said. "Please, when you awaken, take my necklace to the Voice of the Winds."

Light blinked. "Varina, you mean?" he said. The other spirit let go of Light's leg now, and Light found his mind beginning to drift away from this place. "Why would she…?"

"When you return, remain outside of this tree," the spirit said. Its voice was getting faint now. Light could barely hear its final words as his mind was pulled away from this place: "I implore you."

* * *

Light's eyes opened. He was still in the tree, and the other spirit was still asleep. He spent a moment looking over the spirit. It showed no sign of waking, or of being aware at all. But if what Light had seen was real, and not just an illusion, than it wanted Light to take its necklace to Varina.

Light flew over to the spirit, perching on its shoulder so he could get a look at the spirit's necklace. There was the brown stone on front he'd seen before, and also some sort of crystal on the back of it, pressed against the back of the spirit's neck. Light tentatively reached out his paw toward the stone. The moment he touched it, he felt a strong jolt of energy, and he quickly pulled away.

Okay, this necklace was powerful. Perhaps that vision was real then. He didn't know if this spirit was good or bad, but he trusted that Varina was good. Taking this to her was probably good then. Resolved, Light grabbed onto the necklace and flew up once more, carefully removing it from the spirits head and then beginning to head back toward Varina's home.

* * *

_**Twenty-three years ago…** _

My possible actions are limited, particularly with the spirit portals closed. There may yet be something I can do. Right now, there is a powerful fate as yet undecided in the Fire Nation capital, in the family Oum. An eighth child of an eighth child. The family knows of this fate, and they would use it to mold the child into someone who could well set the world on fire.

It would only take the slightest nudge. I could rearrange the eggs within the mother's womb, and let the fated child be birthed after her brother. She would appear to be the ninth to be born, though she would carry the powerful fate of the eighth child of an eighth child.

I stay my hand, however. The brother is also an eighth child: the eighth of his mother. It seems the father has a child he never knew of, born of a lover before his wife who never told him of it, so as not to dishonor his house.

My own hand has already been at play here. I did not miss this possibility. I saw it long ago, but I did not realize its full potential until now. Fated twins, the one with the more power fated to be ignored by her parents. The parents will place their attentions on the other, thinking him to be fated for greatness. I can use this pressure to shape him to my desire.

I redirect his fate, realigning the energy which now flows to form his chakras. The fated energy which would have empowered his fire chakra shall now instead flow to his light chakra. I will give him the insight to see what truly must be done to fix the world, to return it to its state before Avatar Aang fled from his duties.

The change will be undone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Thanks for being understanding with the slowed update schedule. I'm feeling a bit dry still, so I can't promise the next chapter will be out next week. I'd rather take my time and get it right than rush out something subpar.
> 
> Also, although we're getting close to the end, it's probably going to be at least two more chapters from here, just so you all know.


	16. No Need Now for Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami work out a plan of action before they approach the Tree of Eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it looks like I won't be keeping to a weekly schedule here, but I will try to keep this pretty regular until we're done. Not much longer to go now!

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 5:**  No Need Now for Words

* * *

_**Three years ago…** _

The time to wait is over. Harmonic Convergence has arrived, and I am at my most powerful. There is much I need to do, and relatively little time.

I cannot spare time to interfere in the battle between the Avatars of Raava and Vaatu, but thankfully I shouldn't need to. Raava selected the next Avatar well; even without my aid she and her allies should be able to see victory today. And so I focus my efforts elsewhere.

The world has changed much in the ten thousand years since the last Harmonic Convergence, but most of this change has been in the past two hundred years. It began with the genocide of the Air Nomads and the vanishment of the Avatar Aang. For more than nine thousand years, the division of the world into four nations had kept the world stable, unchanging, and safe.

With the loss of the Air Nomads, the world was thrown out of balance. The Fire Nation rose to power, briefly conquering the world before the Avatar could finally stop them. But even then, the change did not end. Once it had begun, humans were not satisfied with a little change. What had worked for millennia was no longer good enough. A new nation was born, one beholden to none of the elements. Cultures that had remained separate intermingled, merged, becoming something new.

The world lost its way. It will not be easy to set it right again. But right now, I can begin. Harmonic Convergence gives me the power to give the ability to bend to even those whose parents did not pass it down to them. I am even powerful enough to affect those already living; I do not have to wait for them to grow. Right now, I can grant airbending to people around the world, and allow them to form a new nation of Air.

That will not be enough on its own. Although the world is rapidly changing, it is resilient. The simple presence of a new Air Nation will not bring things back to how they were before. The United Republic of Nations must fall, becoming part of the Earth Kingdom once again. This will not be easy, but there are many possibilities before me.

I cannot see the future, but I can see patterns in the past. Right now, I see them more clearly than ever. The course of action most likely to work is indirect, but unlikely to fail. So, as I grant airbending to people around the world, I make one addition: an imprisoned member of the Red Lotus by the name of Zaheer.

My plan is falling into place. The change will be undone.

* * *

_**Now…** _

"Asami?" Korra said, raising an eyebrow as Light finished his story. "Aren't you excited? We can finally get your voice back!" Korra's own excitement was quite obvious, though it was somewhat dampened as she noticed Asami's lack of enthusiasm. She slowly slumped back into her seat, giving Asami a questioning expression.

Asami looked between Korra and Light, trying to think of a way to get across her thoughts. Light seemed a bit more sympathetic to her perspective right now, which made sense. He'd gone through the strange event with the other spirit there begging him for help, after all, so it was understandable that he'd be wondering a bit if something else was going on. Korra had just seemed confused when he'd told them that part; perhaps the eagerness to find a solution for Asami's speech had kept her from noticing the warning signs.

Letting out a sigh, Asami pushed herself out of her seat and began to pace the room. She looked over the various instruments Varina had set up on the walls as she thought, in case something she saw might inspire her. The spirit herself was absent, and had been since they'd returned, but she probably wouldn't have any objection to them being here. Korra didn't seem to think so, at least.

On the subject at hand, Asami's gut was telling her that this wasn't right. There was no way that after all this work to find a way to restore her voice, they were just going to happen upon a spirit that said "Have Korra come and talk to me and I'll give Asami her voice back." It was too easy. But maybe if that was the only concern, Asami could have gotten past it. The world didn't always have to follow a neat storyline. She could imagine them randomly running across a spirit who could easily restore her voice. It would be anticlimactic after all of this, but possible.

No, it was the other spirit Light had seen in the tree that had Asami worried. Another spirit was there in what seemed to be sleep or meditation, and Light was forced into sleep when he entered the tree. And as Light woke up, that other spirit begged Light for help. Everything about that told Asami that the other spirit was being held against its will. This felt more like hostage negotiations than anything else.

But how to get that across? Asami was still struggling to get across even basic concepts to Korra without words. It shouldn't be this hard. She and Korra had been so in sync with each other before all this. She could speak back then, but she often didn't need to in order to get across her intentions. Korra simply knew. But now even that was gone. What was going on here?

Maybe it was her frustration getting to her. Maybe this curse… disability? Ailment? Whatever it was. Maybe it had subtler effects than Asami had previously accounted for. Whatever it was, she was going to have to deal with it and find a way to work through it.

Asami stopped as she reached a wall and closed her eyes. She took a slow breath, trying to calm herself. When she was trying to get through Master Sheng's ward, her sound chakra had appeared when she needed it. She had to focus on that need now. Thankfully, Korra and Light were giving her the space she needed, so she could take this slowly.

She needed to communicate. She needed to tell Korra her thoughts. After a few more breaths, Asami opened her mouth once more, trying to speak. "Korra…" she tried to say. Nothing. Okay, she wasn't going to let herself get frustrated. Maybe she was coming at this from the wrong angle. When her sound chakra had spoken for her, it was when she'd admitted she needed help. "Okay, I need help," Asami tried to say. Still nothing.

Still nothing. What else was there? Asami went back through her memory to that ward. After she'd first heard from the chakra and admitted she needed help, it had asked if she was serious about accepting help from without. It was only after that that the chakra spoke for her. Though… that was kind of in a dream. It might not work now, even if she admitted that, but she had to try.

"Alright. I need help from without. I can't do this alone."

"Asami!" Korra said.

Asami turned around. Had she just spoken? She hadn't thought she heard any sound come from her mouth, but had Korra somehow heard her anyway? But no; Korra's expression showed mild surprise; not the strong surprise she would have if Asami had been able to speak. And her eyes weren't focused on Asami. They were focused on the shelf near her.

Asami followed Korra's gaze. On it lay the necklace that Light had brought back with him. They hadn't looked at it much yet, but right now it was obvious that something had changed with it. The crystal on it had begun to emit a pale light. Asami stepped over to it, picking it up and bringing the crystal to her face. There was something in the light. No… not something. Someone.

* * *

"...Jinora?"

That was not a voice Jinora expected to hear waking her up in the middle of the night. The most logical conclusion, in fact, was that she was probably still dreaming, or perhaps just half-dreaming. It sometimes took her mind a bit of time to piece things together when she woke up, so a few weird sights and sounds weren't that unusual. And auditory hallucinations were much more common than visual hallucinations, in any case. At least, that was what she'd read. So it wasn't really that strange.

The glowing, pale blue light in the middle of her bedroom, on the other hand, was quite strange. Given the strangeness of this light, perhaps it wasn't much of an additional leap to believe that she had, in fact, heard Asami Sato's voice as well, despite the fact that she was supposedly on a vacation with Korra in the spirit world.

If that was indeed her, then this would be the first time that she knew of that anyone had managed to communicate from the spirit world to a normal location in the physical world. If so, this was quite interesting. Or she was dreaming. But if that was the case, there was no harm investigating.

Jinora pushed herself up to a sitting position, and then turned to face the glowing light. That was the most likely source of the voice she'd heard. "Asami?" she said. She glanced to the sides, conscious that she might wake up Ikki or Meelo if she spoke too loudly. That might not be the worst outcome in the world… but it might be best to leave them out of this if they weren't needed. Jinora approached the glowing light and said in a lower voice. "Can you hear me?"

Something in the light reacted to her voice. It shifted color, becoming pure white now. She didn't get a reply immediately, but a few moments later, one was indeed forthcoming. "I can hear you," a voice said. It was a male voice. She didn't immediately recognize it, but it was only a short sentence. It might be someone she knew, or it might not be. "I think I'm in contact with you for a reason right now," the voice continued.

"Can you do me a favor?" spoke Asami's voice from the light, as it turned back into the shade of blue Jinora had seen when it had first appeared.

"Of course," Jinora said, keeping her voice low. "What's going on?"

The man's voice spoke again, and the light was white once more. "I don't know if I have time to explain. I'm sorry."

"Please, just do what I ask," came Korra's voice from the light now. As this voice spoke, the light turned a golden color.

Jinora blinked. It seemed to be one entity speaking in multiple voices. But if that was the case, then she couldn't guarantee it was Asami at all that was asking for her help. "Wait, who are you?" she said.

"We're Asami," the male voice said as the light faded back to white. "Technically, we're different aspects of her. Again, it's a long story, and I may not have time to tell it to you. I don't know how this is working."

Jinora gazed at the light, biting her lips for a moment. "...Okay," she said at last. It was possible this was a trick, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. There was no way she'd risk turning down a friend in need simply out of that fear. "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

Korra nearly jumped in place as Jinora appeared in front of her. She shot a look back over at Asami. She definitely had something to do with this. Korra didn't know how, but this had to be Asami's doing. There was no way that Jinora would appear at random right after Asami was focusing on that strange light in the necklace. At Asami's nod, Korra turned back to Jinora, hoping she would have some answers.

"Um, hi Jinora," she said. "I'm guessing you're here for a reason?"

Jinora nodded. She looked around the room for a moment, seeming to take it all in. Eventually, her eyes landed on Asami. They shared a gaze for a moment, and Asami gave Jinora a slight nod. Jinora smiled at Asami, returned the nod, then turned back to Korra.

"Right, I am," she said. "Asami wanted me to pass along a message to you. She wants me to tell you, and I quote: 'This sounds like a hostage situation. We didn't find Master Sheng in his lands, and Light finds a spirit asleep in the tree, begging him for help. I think this spirit is Master Sheng, and he's being held hostage because he's capable of restoring my voice. This way, the other spirit in the tree has leverage to make us come. We can't trust it.'"

Korra blinked. A blush slowly filled her cheeks as she realized that she'd missed that possibility, even with Asami's apparent frustration at trying to communicate to her that something was wrong. "Oh," she said simply.

Jinora nodded at her. Her eyes shot between Korra and Asami. "Um… do you two need help?" she said. "I can come back after letting Dad know what I'm doing. Or well… I guess if I do that he'll probably insist on coming through the spirit portal himself to help out. But if you need us, we'll be there for you."

Korra looked over at Asami. Did they need help? Up until now, it hadn't seemed like it was worth asking anyone else to come. A hostage situation complicated things, but it would take time for anyone else to arrive. Waiting might make things worse, and it might be possible to resolve it peacefully.

"Um… maybe…" Korra said. She glanced over at Asami, trying to glean insight into her friend's opinion. Asami seemed cautious as well about asking for help. She suddenly tilted her head then, and raised her eyebrows. Asami pointed at her throat for a moment. "Okay, something about your voice…"

Asami nodded. She moved her hands to her hair, pulling it back and up. Korra stared at her blankly for a long moment. Something about her voice, and then a hairstyle. "Wait, someone whose hair looks like that?" Korra blinked, trying to think of who Asami might be trying to mime.

"Oh!" Jinora said. Korra shot her a glance. If it wasn't Light beating her to the punch on this, it was going to be Jinora now? Thankfully, Jinora seemed to get the message, and she kept quiet.

Korra looked back at Asami. Okay, what would Asami want about her voice right now? Whose help would she want? Asami knew now that her problem had to do with her chakras, so… Korra grinned. She turned to Jinora. "Could you maybe ask Kya to come here? And bring spirit water as well. She might be able help restore Asami's voice." It was obvious once she thought about it. Only Kya and Katara were good enough healers to be able to handle something like that, and that certainly wasn't Katara's hairstyle Asami was mimicking. Plus, it probably was a bit much to ask Katara to come this deep into the spirit world.

Jinora looked up at Korra and smiled back. She gave Korra a wink, letting her know that she'd already figured that out. "Of course," she said. "Are you sure that's all you need?"

Korra looked back at Asami for a moment. Their eyes met, and she felt like there was an understanding there now. "For now. I think we need to be careful, but we should try to resolve this peacefully first, and a peaceful solution doesn't involve calling for backup. I don't know if we'll be able to contact you again, so if you don't hear from us, check back in a day or so."

Jinora nodded. "Alright," she said. "Good luck."

* * *

Asami tilted her head at Korra. Her girlfriend had been meditating over the necklace for a long time, trying to figure it out, and her eyes had finally opened up. Light, meanwhile, seemed to have fallen asleep while lying down against her leg, and he hadn't quite woken back up yet. Asami caught Korra's gaze and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if Korra had figured anything out about the necklace.

"Well… it's powerful," Korra said. Asami narrowed her gaze at this. That much was obvious. Korra pouted in turn at Asami's reaction. "Well okay, I don't know exactly what it is, or what it's supposed to do. And I'm not quite sure how you were able to contact Jinora with it. But I feel like if I put my hand to it… either the crystal or the stone, I could fill it up with so much energy and… I don't know. Something."

Asami nodded. It was probably best Korra not do that. They didn't know what would happen, after all. Hopefully Varina would know. She was the one that Light had been asked to deliver it to, but she still wasn't back yet. There was really no telling how long she might be out either. Asami let out a sigh. She gestured with her head toward the room which headed deeper into the cave, where they'd slept before, then toward the exit, then looked back at Korra and raised her eyebrow.

"Hmm… I kinda feel like getting this over with, honestly," Korra said. "And I'm not that sleepy." She reached a hand down and placed it on Light's back, gently coaxing him awake. Once he was awake, she said, "Hey Light, how long did it take you to get to that tree?"

"Hmm?" Light said a bit groggily. He turned his head up, looking at Korra. "It was pretty far away. Maybe an hour or so. Why?"

"Just thinking if Asami and I might be up to visiting it before we get some sleep. I think I would be. Asami?" Korra looked over at Asami as she said this.

Asami considered this for a moment. She wasn't really that sleepy either. It was hard to keep track of time here, but it didn't feel like a full day had passed. She did have the energy in her for that much walking. The only worry was if things went bad in the tree. She took a slow breath, and gave Korra a cautious nod, hoping her friend picked up the implication there.

"Okay," Korra said. She pushed herself up to her feet and straightened out her clothing. "Do you want to come with us, Light, or stay here?" she said. As she spoke, she placed the necklace aside on one of Varina's shelves.

Light looked up at her, then tilted his head. "I think I should go. The spirit in the tree mentioned that 'when I came back' I shouldn't enter the tree… so I guess that means I should go, and just shouldn't go in."

Asami narrowed her eyes. She still wasn't sure what to make of that particular request. Perhaps the spirit was simply trying to keep Light out of danger. Whatever the reason, it was another sign that this might end up being dangerous. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Korra nodded at Light. "Okay," she said. She looked over at Asami. "You ready to go then?"

Asami gave this a moment's thought before lifting up her hand and raising a finger. She grabbed her pack and brought it over to the shelf where Korra had left the necklace, then searched around in her pack for her notepad and pencil. She pulled them out, then gestured to the necklace with them, hoping Korra would get her point.

"Oh! Good idea," Korra said, smiling at Asami. She took the notepad from Asami and scribbled down a quick note for Varina, explaining where the necklace had come from, so that the spirit wouldn't wonder about it when she returned. Once she was done, she handed the notepad and pencil back to Asami. "Alright. That all?"

Asami nodded. As Korra turned away, Asami let a smile cross her face. Korra was finally starting to get the hang of picking up on Asami's intentions again. Or perhaps Asami was getting the hang of getting them across. Either way, it was a welcome improvement.

* * *

"Alright. You ready, Asami?" Korra said as they stood at the lip of the tree's hollow, turning her head to look over at her friend. Asami turned to Korra, giving her a slow, cautious nod in turn. Korra pulled her lips up into a grin, hoping to calm Asami's nerves. "Don't worry," she said. "I was able to talk down Kuvira. I can handle this as well."

This seemed to help Asami a bit. Her body visibly relaxed, and she returned Korra's smile. She reached her hand out, taking Korra's in it and giving it a tender squeeze. Her eyes looked back for a moment, and Korra followed her gaze, focusing on Light, who was hovering just outside the hollow.

Korra gave the spirit a smile as well. "Hopefully we won't be too long, Light," she said.

The spirit nodded back at Korra. "Okay," he said. "If you need my help though, just say so."

Korra's lips curled up into a smile once more at this. "Of course."

She nodded at Light as she turned back toward the center of the tree. Letting go of Asami's hand so she could get a better grip, she carefully climbed down to the floor of the hollow. Once she was down, she turned and reached her hand out to Asami, helping her friend the rest of the way.

"Okay," she said as she turned around and stepped toward the center of the hollow, where the other spirit was still seated in a meditative-like pose, just as Light had described him. "I'll meditate to try to contact the entity in the tree," Korra said. She blinked as she finished this sentence, feeling the energy within her suddenly beginning to build up. "Um…" she said, turning to Asami.

Asami's eyes widened. She brought her hand up to her face, her fingers spread out, one pointing at each of her eyes. Korra gulped as she saw this gesture from Asami, which confirmed her fears. She'd gone into the the Avatar state against her will, without any outward sign of danger. Which meant the best scenario was that Raava sensed something that Korra didn't. Otherwise… if the entity here had the power to force Korra into the Avatar state, that could be even worse.

Korra quickly closed her eyes and sat down, assuming a meditative pose and focusing her thoughts.  _Raava? Is everything alright?_

Raava's voice came to her, though the words didn't feel like Raava's.  _I wish to speak with your voice so that your companion may hear. This concerns her as well. Do I have your permission to do so?_

It was more than a bit unsettling to feel Raava taken over like this. Korra did not like the implications of what that meant this entity might be capable of. At least so far, it only wanted to communicate. That was what she'd come here to do, and if this was the only way it could do so, then she'd have to go along with it. Besides, as far as she knew, the entity had already obtained permission from Raava for this.  _Alright,_  she told it.

Almost as soon as she thought the word, she found her lips moving of their own accord. "Thank you for accepting my invitation, Avatar Korra and Asami Sato," she said, though the words obviously weren't hers. She found her body standing up, and her eyes opened, focusing on Asami. So far, none of it felt like she was being forced into it, but she wasn't sure what might happen if she tried to resist. "Please allow me to explain why I have requested your presence here.

"During the most recent Harmonic Convergence, the dark spirit Vaatu was set free from his prison in the Tree of Time through the efforts of Unalaq, your uncle and former spiritual mentor. Your success in defeating Vaatu during Harmonic Convergence is to be commended, but it has not left matters as they were previously. Instead of being imprisoned, Vaatu has been destroyed. Do you understand what this means?"

Korra's lips stopped moving, and she felt the power within her die down for a moment. She had full control of her body again, though it was most likely just temporary. Before answering, she took a moment to look over at Asami, giving her girlfriend a reassuring gaze to let her know that she was alright and she was indeed Korra again.

"Okay," she said. "What does it mean…" Korra took a moment to think about this before she answered. "Well, we don't have to worry about Vaatu breaking free from his prison, or anyone letting him out. Instead, I guess eventually, just as Jinora was able to create Raava again from the light within Vaatu, eventually the darkness within Raava will give birth to Vaatu again. I don't know how far in the future that will be though, but…" Asami's gaze met Korra's, a look of horror in it. It took Korra a moment to go back and realize just what it was that had horrified Asami. "...but whenever it does happen, Vaatu will be born within the Avatar…"

"I see you understand the issue," said the entity, taking over Korra's voice once more before she could say anything further. "It is because of this eventuality that I have requested you come here. I was able to retain some of the energy from Harmonic Convergence, which I can use to solve this issue, but I cannot hold onto this energy forever. We must act now to draw out Vaatu, so that I might ensure he does not eventually grow within the Avatar. Once we are done with this, as my thanks for your cooperation, I will do what I can in order to ensure your companion regains her voice. May I have your agreement to do what needs to be done here?"

Once more, Korra felt herself being freed from the entity's grasp. She looked over at Asami. So far, it seemed reasonable. But it didn't take away from the warning signs Asami had pointed out before. And there was one other issue now. "Wait," she said. "What do you intend to do with Vaatu once he's reborn? You haven't said anything about tha-"

"That is none of your concern," it made her say. "Your choice is simple. You can-"

"No!" Korra said, cutting it off mid-sentence, just as it had done to her. There was resistance as she did so, but it weakened enough to let her speak. "It is my concern. I need to know I can trust you. Unalaq tried to ally with Vaatu as well. Even if it means the risk that a future Avatar will have to find a solution to Vaatu growing inside them, I can't risk turning him over to someone I can't trust. So tell me, what do you plan to do?"

For a minute, the tree was silent. No words came to Korra's lips. She looked over at Asami, ready to let out a sigh, when the energy in her body suddenly swelled to its bursting point. Her limbs moved of their own accord, bending the four elements in front of her in a circle, gathering up power. "Very well," the entity said through her voice. "I did not wish to force you into this, but you leave me no choice. My apologies, Miss Sato. I cannot risk letting you disturb us."

Korra tried to fight back against the entity, but she seemed to be powerless to resist it right now. It felt like it had complete control of Raava, and with its control of Raava came almost complete control of Korra. But not complete. Korra could still move her eyes, focusing them on Asami. There wasn't much Asami could do against the Avatar's power, though, and Asami certainly realized this as she cautiously backed away.

As Korra's arms spread around her body, shifting the elements into a dome, Asami's eyes caught Korra's for a brief moment. Korra couldn't control her mouth right now to say what she wanted to, but she didn't need to. Asami would be able to see it in her eyes. Right now, she needed Asami to run and figure out a plan. If the entity was worried about interference, then there was still time.

The elements suddenly swirled across her line of sight, blocking out Korra's view of Asami. But she'd gotten Korra's message. Korra was certain of it. They didn't need words at a moment like this. She had to believe that.

* * *

_**Three years ago…** _

Quite an interesting game, Pai Sho. The rules always seem to be changing to fit the local culture. It's little wonder so many humans are fascinated by it. It's used for everything from gambling to a metaphor for war. I find it quite appropriate that it works well for both of these purposes.

To me, what makes Pai Sho stand apart from many other board games invented by humans is the fact that once a piece is on the board, it is owned by neither player. If your opponent does not think through their actions, they can leave you an opening to take advantage of their moves.

And so I must be careful with every move I make that I do not leave myself exposed. My most important piece is going to be vulnerable at several key points, and once Harmonic Convergence ends, I will be able to do little to interfere. The present is not infinite, but the possible futures are. One of them holds my answer. I must find it before the present runs out.

The world has come too far. I cannot let its change come undone.


	17. Pieces Moved and Pieces Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra finally gets some answers about how Asami lost her voice, and Asami searches for a way to save Korra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once more to Raijin Tora for all her beta-reading!

 

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 6:**  Pieces Moved and Pieces Forgotten

* * *

_**Two weeks ago…** _

So close. But I had failed. And now, I was perhaps further from my goal than when I'd started.

Everything had happened as I'd planned it, at first. Zaheer had wreaked havoc in the Earth Kingdom, and he'd called enough attention to himself to force the Avatar and her allies to stop him. And once he'd been stopped, the Earth Kingdom rose up again: wounded, but angry. The target of their anger was already subdued, and so the anger was focused on the next easiest target: The Republic of Nations.

Kuvira, the Great Uniter, performed her role admirably. I cannot blame her for this failure. She had done everything to make her colossus nigh-impenetrable, and she would have succeeded if only I had foreseen the true threat to my plans and done something about it. But it was too late now. Hiroshi Sato had given his life to stop Kuvira, and so there was no more need to stop him. He had already done all the damage he was going to.

But he had taught me a valuable lesson. I cannot ignore the potential for certain factors to get in my way as I enact the next stage of my plan. It is more critical than ever that I succeed in this, and I must take care to limit the potential damage that other agents of change might do.

The biggest threat right now is clear: Asami Sato. She cannot be safely eliminated without the risk of turning the Avatar against me. Perhaps the threat she poses can be neutralized, though.

* * *

_**Now…** _

"You would be well advised to save your energy, Avatar," came a voice from off to Korra's side. She'd heard that voice before. It was the voice that had spoken to her and Asami through the black-wire creatures they'd encountered on their first night here and at the entrance to Master Sheng's lands.

Korra let out a groan, and she forced herself to relax. She wasn't getting anywhere by resisting right now. It was probably more useful to take stock and try and figure out what was going on right now. All her resistance had been able to gain her only minor control of her body, and it hadn't prevented her from being forced asleep by whatever was controlling Raava.

Korra narrowed her eyes, looking around where she was. It looked like she was still in the tree's hollow, though it was colored purple, as if she were in Master Sheng's lands again. This wasn't at all like the type of sights she'd seen whenever she'd meditated in the Tree of Time. Though was she even meditating right now? She could just as well be dreaming, for all she knew.

"What is this place?" Korra said, looking over at the other spirit who was here with her. The old frog-man spirit appeared just like he did when Korra had seen him in the hollow before, except for the fact that he appeared to be awake right now. Barely. He still sat in exactly the same position, but his eyes were… okay, his eyes weren't even open. But he'd spoken earlier, so he was probably awake.

"This is a realm constructed from human minds," said the spirit, who was most definitely awake, even though he still kept his eyes closed. "The realm itself consists of ideas which exist in the mind, but not in a pure form within the physical world. It is the native realm of thought, where dreamers from the physical and spirit world might occasionally find each other."

"Dreamers…" Korra said, looking around once more. It didn't look much like her dreams, but then again this wasn't how she usually went to sleep. Perhaps her senses were working differently since she'd entered it this way. "So, are we asleep now? Or something different?"

"It is slightly different, as I believe you have surmised," the spirit said. "Our minds have fully passed into this realm, and so we see its full, true state. If you were simply dreaming, you would see only glimpses of this realm, mixed with images from within your own mind."

"Hmm, okay…" Korra said. She looked back at the spirit, narrowing her eyes at it. Something was nagging at her mind now, with this conversation. She couldn't quite put a pin on it yet though. But there was something else she had to find out. "Can I ask: Are you Master Sheng?"

The spirit's hands moved now, reaching out to either side of the staff which lay across its lap. They cupped either end of it as he spoke. "I am indeed," he said. "I apologize that I was not able to make our engagement, Avatar Korra. As you can see, I have been detained."

The edge of Korra's lips pulled outward at this, grimacing in sympathy. "Yeah. I can see."

Korra let out a groan, looking over toward the exit of the tree hollow. There didn't seem to be anything preventing them from leaving that way, but that didn't mean there wasn't any. And besides, it wasn't the direction she wanted to go. She wanted to wake up. But that wasn't going to happen now, was it? If she were awake, she'd be grilling Master Sheng over everything imaginable related to Asami's voice, starting with asking him if he could restore it. But he wasn't in any position to do that now, it would seem. And Korra wasn't in any position to do anything with whatever she might learn.

But that might change in the future. And besides, Master Sheng was right. She was wasting her energy trying to get out right now. She had to go back to her earthbending training. Neutral jing. Wait for the right moment; don't fight when it's a losing battle. Wait until there's an opening, and then act. And while she was waiting, there was no harm in asking a few questions about what had happened with Asami's voice.

* * *

Asami nearly collapsed as she entered Varina's cave. She didn't know if the spirit was back yet, but if she wasn't, then Asami was going to damn well find a way to summon her back, just as she'd done with Iroh. Varina might not have the Avatar's power anymore, but she was the closest thing Asami had right now. She was going to need some serious power on her side to save Korra, particularly if Korra's bending was being used against her.

"Miss Sato?" came Varina's voice from deeper in the cave. The sound of her voice was always musical in here, but right now it was one of the most beautiful sounds Asami had ever heard. Asami looked up, catching sight of the spirit hovering in to the main room. "What is the matter?"

Asami opened her mouth, then closed it, trying to think of how to explain it without words. Then she blinked. She held up a finger, asking Varina to wait. Of course. This must have been why Light had been asked to remain outside of the tree when they returned: so he could explain to Varina what had happened. He'd said that the first time he'd gone there he'd been forced to fall asleep when he was inside the tree, but this time he'd been fine. The spirit being kept captive there, who'd given Light his necklace, must have anticipated this, or at least the possibility of this.

Even with his ability to fly, Light wasn't quite as fast as Asami was in a mad dash, so it did take a minute until he finally flew in through the cave entrance. Asami looked back at him with relief, and he returned her glance for a moment before looking over at Varina. "Miss Varina!" he said. He flew in and came to a landing on the table, looking up at her. "Something horrible has happened… Avatar Korra is… being controlled. I think. Or maybe Raava is. I'm not quite sure. But we need your help!"

"I see," Varina said. Her voice didn't show emotion like a human's might. Instead, as the wind of her breath filled the instruments throughout the room, it played a more somber, haunting tune to accompany her speech now. "Please, young spirit. Tell me all you know."

Light nodded at Varina. He took a breath, and then began to fill her in on what she'd missed, starting with his first experience in the tree. As he spoke, air currents in the room seemed to gradually built up, causing haunting sounds to be played from the instruments throughout the room. By the time he was finished, they were practically playing a full song expressing Varina's worry.

"I am… so sorry…" Varina said as Light finished. At Asami and Light's confused expressions, she continued, "I never expected it to do this. I… did not expect it to do anything. If I had, I would have told you to avoid that tree when you first noticed it. But it has never done anything like this before. I…"

Varina trailed off. Asami blinked at her in confusion. She stepped up, trying to get Varina's attention. She didn't know how much time they had, so they really couldn't afford to waste any right now. She needed to know what Varina knew. All of it. As Asami got the spirit's attention, she held her gaze, trying to get this message across. "Start from the beginning," she tried to say. "Tell me all you know." No sound came from her lips, but she hoped that Varina would be able to sense her intentions.

Varina held Asami's gaze for a minute, then slowly nodded. "My apologies. We must formulate a plan, and so it is important that you understand what you are facing. I will try to keep this as brief as I can, but I am afraid it still may require some time to explain. I recommend you have a seat while I speak. You appear as if you require rest."

This was certainly true. Giving the spirit a thankful smile, Asami found a suitable chair nearby and took a seat in it. She reached out a hand and casually stroked Light's back as she looked up at Varina.

"Let me start with the trees," Varina said, turning to face where Asami now sat. "You have seen both the Tree of Time and the Tree of Eternity. The two trees are tied together intricately. As the Tree of Time grows, it pulls the world into the future. As the Tree of Eternity grows, it holds onto the past, slowing the passage of time. The two trees are in a delicate balance, which is why they appear so much alike. If the Tree of Time were to grow faster, the world would change too rapidly for any living in it to prosper. If the Tree of Eternity were to grow faster, the world would stagnate.

"The trees themselves each have some form of consciousness, but it is nothing like what you or I have. Nevertheless, they seem to have come to an accord with each other. They grow at precisely the same pace, keeping the world moving at an acceptable rate into the future. This is why the two trees always appear identical; they ensure it is so.

"Of course, the trees are places of great power, and so they attract others. When the spirit portals were open many thousands of years ago, humans meditated beneath the Tree of Time, as they could feel its power. When they did so, they were able to communicate with a powerful spirit who made its home in the Tree, but in a realm outside the eyes of both humans and almost all other spirits.

"This spirit is known as 'Time,' 'Change,' or 'Death,' which it insists are one and the same. Representing such a fundamental force of nature, it is surely one of the most powerful spirits in existence, perhaps more powerful than even Raava or Vaatu. But as with most spirits, it has its role to play, and it does not stray from it, and so humans need not fear it using its power for ill. It is, however, most amenable to talking with those who seek it out, and is quite willing to provide its wisdom. In my life, I was one such human, and I learned much from it."

Varina held her hands out to either side now. In her left hand, she formed a ball of swirling white energy, and in her right, a ball of swirling black energy. "Spirits thrive on balance," she said. "Just as the trees find counterparts in each other, so does Time find a counterpart residing in the Tree of Eternity. 'The Eternal' it calls itself, or 'Fate.' It is in many ways Time's opposite. Instead of collecting souls at the ends of their lives, it sets them on their path at the beginning. And unlike Time, it is not a spirit which has ever responded to those who wish to communicate with it - it only ever speaks to others when it wishes to do so."

Varina closed her hands, the balls of energy winking out of existence. "This is the spirit which now holds Avatar Korra captive. This is your foe. From what you have told me, I fear that the Eternal has the ability to control other spirits, at least when they are within the hollow of its tree. This is how it put the captive spirit and the spirit of light into a slumber, and this is how it took control of Avatar Korra's body - through controlling Raava inside of her.

"But its power may be limited. It showed no sign of controlling you, Miss Sato, did it?"

Asami shook her head. She was still taking it all in, but Varina was right. She'd felt no indication at all that the spirit was trying to control her. In fact, from the way it had used Korra's voice to speak so she could hear, it was quite likely that it simply couldn't do so. But it could control Raava. Which unfortunately meant it might be even more powerful than her, which gave them limited means to fight against it.

It would take someone with bending to fight against Korra in the Avatar state. There was simply no way Asami would be able to get close enough to subdue Korra without help. Kya was likely on her way, but she probably wouldn't arrive fast enough, and even then she might not be enough. It would be a while before Jinora checked in again, and probably too late by then.

Asami glanced over to the wall, where they'd left the necklace for Varina to find. Perhaps it could work again to contact Jinora and tell her it was an emergency. Or perhaps… perhaps there was some other use for it. The captive spirit had a good reason for telling Light to remain outside the tree's hollow. There was probably a good reason for the necklace as well. Grinning slightly, Asami got up and headed over to it.

* * *

Master Sheng slowly shook his head. "The loss of your friend's voice was a dreadful mistake. I must apologize to both you and her for this. It was never my intention for this to come to pass, but I must take responsibility for it," he said. He was silent for just a moment, and then let out a deep sigh. "I knew there was a possibility that things might not go as planned. Such is the nature of humans. I expected that were such to happen, I could fix the matter when your friend awoke, before either of you noticed something was wrong. I did not anticipate my imprisonment."

Korra narrowed her eyes at Master Sheng. She took a seat in front of him and said, "What did you do? And why?"

"If you do not mind, I will answer your second question first. This will make it easier to explain what I did," Master Sheng said. Even now, his eyes still didn't open as he spoke to Korra. "I am a spirit of humanity, but most of all a spirit of speech. I can sense every word spoken by a human when they are within the same realm as me, though I cannot hear the meaning unless I will it. Humans value privacy, and so I do not intrude unless invited.

"It is not just spoken words that I can hear, however, but those that might have been spoken. Whenever one considers speaking a word, even if it never passes through their lips, I can sense it. The context gives each word a different feeling. Spoken words are a delight. Words imagined in rehearsal for a future speech are as well. But words withheld out of fear… are painful."

Master Sheng's eyes finally opened as he said this. Despite his frog-like body, his eyes were perfectly human, though they appeared a fair bit too large for his body. His gaze fixed onto Korra, making it impossible for her to look away. "Each individual word withheld is a tiny prick of pain, easily manageable. But with you and your companion when you first arrived in the spirit world, so many words were withheld in so little time that I felt I must do something. Without intruding on your privacy, I could not act to resolve the problem myself. One of you had to do so. Of the two of you, your companion seemed to be the one withholding more out of fear, and so it was her who would be in a better position to receive my gift."

Korra wanted to look away as Master Sheng said this, but she wasn't able to, not with how firm his gaze was right now. She knew full well what was going on then. She and Asami had both been struggling with their feelings for each other, and neither had been willing to speak up about it. Asami certainly hadn't been the only one guilty there, though. Korra could have spoken up about it herself. But no. This was a mistake. She couldn't be blamed for this, nor could Asami. Perhaps Master Sheng could be blamed for it, but she'd have to at least hear him out first.

"Your gift?" Korra said, trying to get back to the conversation at hand. "What was that?"

"Humanity," Master Sheng said. "It is the gift I grant all humans early in life, and many spirits as well. As a young child's mind develops, my gift first lets them develop a voice, allowing them to connect with others. They are able to state their needs and desires, allowing others into the mystery that has been their mind until this point. Humans develop slowly, though, and so it takes much time before my gift is fully realized.

"Adults will easily recognize a young child is human as well, but at a young age, the child sees only their own world. They believe everyone else sees as they do. Such a child will not believe you know something they do not, and they will not believe there is something they know that you do not. Such a child will never ask a question, for they never see the need. It is only with true insight that one realizes that others see the world differently."

Korra's eyes widened. "So that's why the ward protecting your lands just wanted me to ask a question!" she said, grinning slightly now. "You were looking for those who could fully communicate. Okay…" she furrowed her brow as she thought of this. "That talking cat owl couldn't ask any questions though… I'm guessing you gave it your gift, but it didn't develop all the way, right?"

Master Sheng nodded. "Indeed. Humans are nearly unique among animals. They are among the only ones who have ever developed the insight to ask a single question of each other. Before humans, there was no need of me. I wasn't born until the first question was asked. Since then, I have guided humans on their path, helping them develop their voices and abilities to communicate. For those who cannot use their voices, and for those who cannot hear, I help them find other ways."

Korra nodded slowly now. "But it's not just Asami's voice that's missing. She can't write, either. And we've been having a hard time even communicating through gestures. Everything you say you're responsible for… that's what she lost."

"...I would not say she lost it," Master Sheng said. His eyes slowly began to fill with sadness as he spoke. "She suppressed it. She can yet regain it, even without my help, but she must understand its importance. However, I have been unable to grant my gift to those who have been more recently birthed into either the spirit or physical worlds. It is them that I am most sorrowful for. If I am not released, they will never know the ability to communicate."

Korra shook her head. "You'll be released. Just leave it to Asami. I trust her. You should too." She curled the edge of her lips up into a grin at this. Honestly, she had no idea what Asami would or could do to help her, but she still trusted her friend.

Master Sheng was silent, though his eyes did begin to regain their earlier calm. "Very well, Avatar Korra. I will trust your words."

Smiling, Korra nodded at Master Sheng. "Okay. Um, I'm still not quite clear though. How did Asami lose her ability to communicate? Er, I mean, what happened to suppress it?"

"I do not know the details, as I am not privy to the happenings within her own mind," Master Sheng said. "I can tell you what I intended. I gave her my gift again, but only for a short while. I intended that while she sleep, her mind would be lit up with my gift, allowing her to communicate with herself. I hoped that she might gain insight from this, and that the part of her mind she had been denying would make itself clear to her and help her to find a better path.

"This involvement granted more power to her body's chakras than they usually hold. The human body is more than capable of handling this power, but your friend did not come upon it gradually, and so she was not ready for it. It is possible she mistakenly directed this power in a manner which caused her sound chakra to fall out of alignment. The desire to not speak could do this if powerful enough. If she still had that power upon waking, it would have realigned itself, but my gift was intended to fade when she awakened. This would have left her sound chakra stuck out of alignment, and her will to speak would not have been sufficient to realign it."

Korra's eyes widened, and she nodded. "I think that's it! Varina said that Asami's sound chakra was out of alignment. She must have pushed it out herself, not realizing that she could do so. But… can she put it back in alignment?"

"If I am able to help her, with ease," Master Sheng said. He was silent for a moment, as he appeared to think. "Without my help, she will have more difficulty, and it may take time. She will have to find the path on her own, and she will have to be willing to walk down it."

Korra's lips pulled into a confident grin once more. "As I said. Trust Asami. She can do it."

* * *

"I recommend you be cautious with that necklace, Miss Sato," Varina said, just as Asami's hand was about to touch it. When Asami turned back to the spirit, raising her eyebrow questioningly, Varina continued, "It appears to have been intended for use by a powerful spirit. It is capable of drawing an immense amount of energy from the user."

Asami quickly pulled her hand back and stepped away from the necklace, making sure she was farther away from it now than she had been when it had activated earlier. It didn't seem like it had drained her energy when she'd used it then, but it might have been some type of energy she wasn't used to sensing. Maybe something like the energy used for bending. She didn't know what it felt like to run low on that energy - or "juice" as pro-benders called it - so she might run out of it without noticing. But would it really matter if she did? Well, perhaps if she needed it to use the necklace, and she needed the necklace for something.

Or she could simply be completely wrong about it. Probably best to get more information before worrying too much. Asami nodded at Varina, then looked over at Light. She gestured to the necklace, then to herself, hoping Light might get the message. As he looked at her quizzically, she held her hand out, palm down, at the height of Jinora's head, and tried to trace out a rough outline of her body below it.

Light's face finally showed a glimmer of understanding. He smiled at Asami, and then turned to Varina and said, "Mistress Varina, Asami actually used the necklace by accident earlier. She was able to communicate with a friend of hers in the physical world." Light was silent for a moment, looking between Asami, the necklace, and Varina. "Do you think, maybe I was asked to bring the necklace here so she could use it? I thought it might just be for safekeeping, but… Well, even if that is all it is, it might be able to help her anyway."

Varina was silent for a long while. At least, she didn't say anything. The winds generated by the motion of her robes still reverberated through the instruments placed through her cave, and the sounds seemed to slowly become less random, and more meaningful. Varina was worried, judging by the sounds, or something close to worried.

Eventually, Varina spoke. "Yes. I believe it could," she said. "Perhaps this was even the plan of the spirit who asked you to bring it here, spirit of light." Varina floated over to the necklace and picked it up. Turning to face Asami and Light, she said, "I would not recommend this in normal circumstances, but with the possible rebirth of Vaatu imminent, our choices are limited."

Varina held the necklace in one hand, and she pointed to the crystal on it with the other. "As you've seen, this crystal allows communication with the physical world. Such items are exceedingly rare. It is likely the spirit who made this has a task to perform in the physical world, and decided to create this crystal over the course of millennia to make his task easier. Now, it allows any who use it to communicate with the physical world from here. With it, we could perhaps summon help, but I do not know if we have enough time for them to arrive before the Eternal is finished drawing out Vaatu."

Varina exchanged the necklace between her hands, and gestured to the brown stone attached to the other side of it. "This, however, may allow Miss Sato to confront the Eternal on her own, even if it is able to control Avatar Korra. This will not be easy, however, even with the aid of this necklace. There are few humans who could even come close to defeating Avatar Korra in combat alone, even were she not to enter the Avatar state. But my plan is not for any one of them to face Avatar Korra alone.

"This," Varina said, lifting up the brown stone, "is a fragment of the claw of a lion turtle. In millennia past, they were hunted for their claws, which were used to grant bending to nonbenders. This fragment on its own does not have that power any longer, but it has been nurtured by a powerful spirit for thousands of years. It has been reshaped into a conduit." Varina reached around and grasped the crystal with her other hand. "There is a reason this necklace holds both this fragment and crystal. It has been used as a conduit of power to the physical world. And now, we can use it to bring power back here."

Asami's eyes widened as she realized what Varina was getting at. It could bring the ability to bend from someone in the physical world to the user of the necklace. To Asami. But that would mean taking it away from someone. And even then, Asami had no practice with bending. There was no way she'd be able to use it skillfully enough to hold her own against the Avatar. She shook her head. It wasn't going to work.

"Please, Miss Sato, hear me out," Varina said. "I do not mean that you should steal anyone's bending, but that you should request to borrow it. In fact, this will be necessary. The crystal here is powerful. It can even bring one's consciousness across worlds, as I believe you experienced when you contacted your friend earlier. With it, you can request the assistance of others from the physical world, and they can be brought to you, along with their bending abilities.

"No one alone would be able to defeat Avatar Korra, enabling her to be rescued and this crisis averted. But you will not be alone. You will have the experience and power of your allies with you. Together, you can do this."

Together. Asami stared at the necklace, taking a slow breath. She'd run to this cave because she had no idea how to save Korra alone. So of course, the plan wasn't going to be to save her alone. Not entirely.

Asami looked up at Varina. As powerful as she was, Varina would be no match for the spirit in the tree - the Eternal, she'd called it. She would likely be subdued the moment she got near. But she'd helped now, as had Light. Without them, Asami wouldn't have the necklace available, and she wouldn't even be able to attempt this.

A smile slowly crossed Asami's face. She nodded at Varina, then stepped toward her. It hadn't been easy to communicate through the crystal before, but maybe it would be easier now. Even if it wasn't, she would do it. For Korra's sake, and for the sake of everyone in the world who might suffer if Vaatu were to be released, she would figure out how to get the help she needed.

* * *

_**Three years ago…** _

I see it. Finally, a possible future where Vaatu isn't released once more. But it's only a possibility. Far from likely. Nearly impossible, even. Asami Sato can succeed, but she is not likely to make the choice needed. She will most likely choose someone familiar to ask for help, and by the time she realizes the problem, it will be too late to choose another.

Only my opponent and I can see the full Pai Sho board in this game. My opponent is doing their best to set events in motion such that their victory is inevitable, and there is nothing I can do but watch and plan. The outcome will hinge on Asami Sato, and my opponent knows this well. They have done much to try and hinder her, and it may well be enough.

Although she will be at the center of the game at its final moments, that does not necessarily make her the most important piece in play. The most important piece is whichever one can win the game, however important or unimportant it seemed to be until that point. My opponent seems to have the fatal flaw of focusing on the center of the game, and so they have forgotten about one piece they moved to the outskirts at the beginning, and another moved away just recently.

This will make Asami Sato's task more difficult, when it is perhaps already at its most difficult point, but it cannot be avoided. When the time is right, I must make my move to ensure she has the help she needs, even if I have to intervene directly.

* * *

_**Now…** _

The clouds were moving in quickly. Ty Zen ducked through the crowds, making her way to the coffee shop. Hopefully she'd be able to get there before the clouds opened up and rain hit.

Thankfully, this turned out not to be a problem. Even as the skies noticeably darkened, no rain came from these clouds. A few people near the entrance to the coffee shop seemed to be looking up at them in confusion, but Ty Zen simply ducked through an opening in the crowd, ignoring the people who'd suddenly decided to take up cloud-watching in the middle of a busy sidewalk.

As she made it through the doorway, Ty Zen allowed herself a grin. She was finally going to see her twin brother again. How long had it been? Around five years? He'd certainly done well for himself, it seemed. She just hoped she'd be able to recognize him after all this time, as she scanned the people already seated in the shop.

In the end, that wasn't something she needed to worry about. Apparently once he no longer had their father forcing him to put on a noble decorum, Izin had forgotten about the existence of combs, and so he stuck out like a sore thumb among the crowd. Grinning at him, Ty Zen waved to grab his attention.

Just as Izin looked up at her, a flash of light came from outside. A few people turned to look, but Ty Zen simply shrugged it off. It seemed she'd gotten in just before the storm hit. The only wonder was why so many people were so intrigued by it all of a sudden. Even Izin seemed to be looking curiously out the window.

Her brother's curiosity was finally enough to get Ty Zen to turn her head. The clouds had completely filled the sky now, and turned nearly black, but there wasn't a hint of rain. There were, however, periodic flickers of light that remained around a bit too long to be lightning. Okay, that was strange. But strange could wait. Ty Zen turned back to her brother and smiled once more as she made her way to his table. It was far past time to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks all for reading! Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated.


	18. A Rallying Cry Across Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami reaches out for the help she'll need to save Korra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some material in it which might be triggering for survivors of sexual assault. It's a more metaphorical connection to it, but it might be an issue for some people nevertheless.

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 7:**  A Rallying Cry Across Worlds

* * *

"So," Ty Zen said as she dropped down into the seat across from Izin, grinning at him. "The exiled son is now Mr. Big Shot. I have to say, if I were in your place, I'd really be having trouble resisting the urge to head back to the Capital and rub this in Dad's face."

"Well," Izin said, glancing down and to the side. He was silent for a moment as he took a sip of his cup of coffee, and then he looked up, almost making eye contact with Ty Zen. "I don't particularly relish the thought of going back to see him. I can't really imagine any way that would go well."

"I dunno, Dad's kinda mellowed out over the last few years," Ty Zen said. She shrugged as she leaned back in her chair, looking around for a waiter who might be free to take her order. Not seeing any, she looked back at Izin. "I think maybe he realized he overreacted and regrets it. Of course, when I asked him if there was any message he wanted me to pass along to you, he went all defensive again. So… yeah. It'll take some time. But hey!" Ty Zen leaned forward again, letting a smile cross her face now. "Congrats on the Nuo Beier prize. That's really something!"

Izin let out a chuckle, smiling at this. "Thanks, but it's not really that big of a deal," he said. Despite his words, pride was evident in his features. "They didn't even pick the paper I'm most proud of from that year. And even that was child's play compared to the general theory I'm working on now."

Ty Zen snorted at this. "Listen to yourself! You're being awarded with a million Yuan prize, and you're complaining that they're not giving it for the most amazing of your amazing papers. You really fail at the humble act."

"Heh, fine," Izin said, his smile getting just a bit wider as he took another sip of his coffee. "You win. It's a big deal."

"Yeah," Ty Zen said. As she spoke, she took another look around for a waiter. "I'm just surprised you didn't have anyone better than me to invite to the ceremony and… where the heck are all the waiters anyway?"

"You have to order at the counter here," Izin said. "That's how most places outside of the Capital do it."

Ty Zen shot Izin a glance. "Oh. Well, thanks for bothering to tell me."

She rolled her eyes, deciding it best to just shrug that off. She hadn't actually told Izin that she wanted to order, so he'd probably just missed the cues that she was looking for a waiter. Apparently that was one thing about him that hadn't changed. Ty Zen pushed herself up, ready to head to the counter, though as she did, it became quite obvious to her that pretty much everyone else in the shop was staring out the window right now.

"Okay, why the heck is everyone here so interested in a storm, anyway?" she said, glancing back down at Izin.

Izin's eyes shot to the side, likely focusing on the window behind Ty Zen. "Well, for one thing, it looks like the storm wants to come inside."

* * *

Dawn seemed to arrive more suddenly than usual, today. Tenzin normally found himself gradually awakened by the light pouring in through the windows of his and Pema's bedroom, but it came at once in a flash today. Most likely the sun had been behind a thick cloud as it initially rose in the sky, only to be set free now, Tenzin considered as he rolled over onto his back and opened up his eyes. If that was the case, then it was certainly time to get up now.

But no, that most definitely wasn't the case. The light was emanating from a source inside the bedroom, not coming in through the windows. Tenzin sat up, analyzing the source of the light for any evidence of danger. It slowly grew as he watched, shifting into a pale blue color. As Tenzin gazed at it, he could see some form of ripples in the air, though they didn't seem to show the bedroom wall behind the source of light. Rather, he seemed to be getting occasional glimpses of some other location, perhaps with a figure there, clad in red and black, though the glimpses were too faint and sporadic to be sure.

"Tenzin? Is that you?" came Asami Sato's voice from the light.

Tenzin glanced from the light to the sleeping figure of his wife beside him. Pema didn't seem to have been woken up yet. She probably would wake up soon if Tenzin responded, but it didn't seem likely he'd be able to move this conversation to another room.

"It is," he said, nodding at it. Tenzin carefully pulled himself out of bed and moved toward the light. The least he could do to let Pema continue to sleep was to keep the volume down. In a soft voice, he said, "Is everything alright, Asami? I thought you and Korra were on vacation in the spirit world."

"We are," came a man's voice from the light, just as its color shifted to white. "I don't have time to explain right now. Korra's in trouble, and we need your help."

Tenzin's eyes widened. He wasn't going to question the oddness of this form of communication after hearing that. "Of course," he said. "I'll head to the spirit portal right away. Do you just need me, or should I bring others as well?"

"No, wait." This time it was Korra's voice coming from the light, and it turned a pale gold color. Tenzin eyed the light for any sign of Korra on the other side, but he could only catch glimpses of Asami. It seemed to be just her voice that was being affected.

"There isn't enough time to wait for you to get to the portal and then here," said the male voice from within the light, and it shifted back to blue. "I have a way you can help from there, though. An artifact here will let you transfer your bending ability and skill to me, which I can use to help Korra."

The light turned white again, and Asami's voice spoke from it. "Can you do this for me?"

For a moment, Tenzin allowed himself to ponder the changing voice. It had shifted to Asami's voice to ask a question. Perhaps that meant something about this form of communication. But he couldn't spend too much time thinking about that now. Asami had said time was limited. He'd honestly prefer to head there himself to help, but he would have to trust her that there wasn't time for that. He would also have to trust her that this would work, and that it would allow her to help Korra.

With that necessity in mind, the answer was clear. "Very well," he said, nodding at the light. "What do you need me to do?"

"Step into the light," said Korra's voice from it, as it turned gold again, "and meditate." A request this time, and it was Korra's voice being used. Perhaps Tenzin had been on to something; the form of the sentence did indeed determine the voice. Curious. But far from the most pressing issue right now.

Tenzin nodded. "Of course," he said.

* * *

The world seemed to move around Asami for a moment, squeezing in front of her and stretching out behind her, then pulling back. Asami reached her hand out to the table nearby, holding herself steady. After a bit more shifting, as if the world was searching to find space to accommodate another person with her, things seemed to settle down.

"Try to relax, Miss Sato," Varina said. She moved around in front of Asami now. "Your mind is your own, first and foremost. Even with the aid of the necklace, others will not be allowed entrance unless you open yourself up to them."

Asami nodded slowly, though she didn't look up at Varina just yet; she was still feeling rather dizzy. She took a few slow, deep breaths, then closed her eyes. As she let herself relax, she could begin to feel Tenzin's presence. It was concentrated in the necklace now, feeling as if he was waiting at a doorway for Asami to grant him permission to enter. With that metaphor in mind, Asami focused on the image of opening a door for him, granting him entrance.

Tenzin's presence flowed from the necklace, filling Asami's body. She felt herself becoming energized. She felt light. As if she were young again. The stiffness her body had developed with age, coming upon her so slowly she hadn't even noticed it, was suddenly all gone. She was young again. ... _He_  was young again?  _They_ were. That was it. The two of them were sharing Asami's body now.

_My apologies, Asami,_  spoke Tenzin's voice within Asami's mind.  _I am a guest within your mind and body, and I should comport myself as such. I will hold myself back until you have need for my bending. I trust that you know what needs to be done._

Asami nodded, smiling. She wasn't quite sure of all that needed to be done, but at least she had a starting point now. She opened her eyes, looking up at Varina, hoping her expression would let the spirit know that it seemed to have worked.

A slight smile crossing her face, Varina smiled back at Asami. "Good. Welcome to the spirit world, Master Tenzin. I am afraid we can spare no more time here, and so Miss Sato will have to explain matters to you while she returns to the Tree of Eternity." Varina's expression shifted slightly. She still focused on Asami, but she seemed to connect with Asami herself now, rather than Tenzin. "Miss Sato. I recommend you give yourself some time to recover your energy before requesting the aid of another."

That made sense. Asami would need a bit of time to get used to this, after all. It would take some time to return to the Tree of Eternity, so she could stop along the way. She nodded at Varina, then turned, seeking out Light. She gave the spirit a soft, questioning smile, as she glanced to the door.

Light nodded, almost imperceptibly. "Of course, Asami. I probably shouldn't get too close to the tree, but I can stay with you until you get there."

Asami smiled back at him. She turned to Varina, and then gave the spirit a nod. She wanted to say something to thank Varina right now, but even if she could spare the time for it, she still couldn't get her mouth to form words. But Varina would surely get the message from Asami's expression.

"Farewell, Asami Sato," Varina said, a slight smile crossing her face again. "If I can think of any other way to assist, I will do so, but I fear that this has been all the help I will be able to provide. I simply hope that it is sufficient."

A smile formed on Asami's face, matching Varina's. She hoped so as well. With a final nod to the spirit, she turned and headed toward the cave's exit. As she approached it, Light hopped off of the table and flew behind her.

_If you'll pardon me,_  said Tenzin's voice as Asami exited the cave.  _You mentioned that you wished to borrow my bending ability, correct? I believe it would be worthwhile to test whatever your method is for doing so. If it works, we can use my airbending to accelerate our progress toward your destination._

Asami paused in her step. He had a point. If there was any difficulty with accessing his bending, she certainly didn't want to find that out when it was too late. With a nod, Asami opened up her mind to Tenzin once more, allowing him to guide her body's movements.

Tenzin didn't directly force Asami's body to move. Rather, his mind seemed to flow with hers, telling her exactly how to move each muscle just as she did so. She adjusted her legs, stepping into a lighter stance, and then circled her arms slowly around before her. The wind quickly picked up, following the motions of her hands.

Tenzin guided Asami's hands, spinning up the air in front of her. The wind soon formed into a spinning ball, and Asami hopped up onto it, sitting as if in a meditative pose as she carefully balanced herself upon it.  _This certainly takes me back to my youth,_  Tenzin said.  _Alright. Let me show you how to use this to move. I believe you'll find it's a lot faster and more energy-efficient than running. Hopefully on the way you will be able to explain to me just what is going on here._

Asami's lips curled up into a smile just as she adjusted the winds beneath her to propel the spinning ball of air forward, pushing herself in the direction of the Tree of Eternity. "Wait! Asami!" came Light's voice behind her, fading in volume as she moved away. "I mean, don't wait, there's no time, but I can't fly that fast, so I'll catch up wh…" As Asami sped off, the spirit's voice became too faint to hear, but she was pretty sure she got the message.

* * *

"Ugh!" Korra winced, which broke her out of her attempt at meditation. She was disconnected from her body right now, but she could still feel that particular burst of pain in her stomach. "Damn it…"

Korra forced her breathing to steady. It was becoming harder and harder to keep from thinking about what was being done to her and Raava right now. Somehow, the spirit in this tree was trying to revive Vaatu. It probably involved darkness, or some sort of dark energy in some way, and trying to build it up within Raava. The fact that Korra mostly couldn't feel it didn't make it easier to handle. In a way, it made it worse. It left her mind to imagine what might be going on, how she was being violated…

No! It was best not to think about it. She had that option available to her, if nothing else. Or at least, she'd had that option available. If that pain wasn't a one-time thing, then she might be in store for further reminders of what was happening to her body.

Maybe there was something else she could do. She was being controlled through her connection with Raava. Maybe if that connection were broken somehow, she'd have control of herself again. But if she did that, she'd no longer be the Avatar. And without the energy of Harmonic Convergence, she and Raava wouldn't be able to merge again. The Avatar cycle would come to an end, at least until the next Harmonic Convergence, nearly ten thousand years in the future.

Still… it might be worth it. When Vaatu had merged with Unalaq, they'd intended to bring eternal darkness to the world. If that was going to happen again, then sacrificing the Avatar might be worth it. But it wasn't an option to take lightly. Asami was still out there, and there was a good chance she'd figure out some way to help. Korra had to hold on until then. The Avatar was worth fighting for. Even if she could, she wasn't going to give that up just yet.

"Gah!" Another blast of pain hit Korra's stomach, and she winced once more. An image flashed through her mind, imaging her body being forcibly filled with darkness, but she pushed it aside. It might serve to make her angry, but anger wasn't going to get her out of this. She'd save it for later, when she had control of herself and it might be able to do her some good.

She needed to be calm right now. If she let her anger get a hold of her, she'd try to fight back, and it would put the spirit on guard. She had to wait until she knew its guard was down, and strike then. Until then, she would trust in Asami.

* * *

_So how does this work, Asami?_  spoke Katara's voice within Asami's mind, once the world had stopped spinning around her.

Asami opened her eyes, gasping for breath. She hadn't felt particularly drained after she'd contacted Tenzin, but she was certainly feeling the lack of energy now. It didn't last long, though. Soon enough, she could feel energy flowing through her body once more. It felt unusual, though. It was foreign somehow. Perhaps… yes. It was Katara's energy, helping to replenish what Asami had used up to communicate with her.

"Asami, are you alright?" came Light's voice from nearby. Asami looked over in the direction of the voice. Spotting the spirit, she gave him a reassuring smile. He must have caught up with her while Asami was communicating with Katara.

Okay. It was probably a good idea to try out Katara's bending now. They were still in the swamp, so there was plenty of water around to work with. As she'd done with Tenzin, Asami invited Katara into her mind, allowing Katara's instincts to take over.

She turned to face the side of the path, and then reached out with her arms. She held her hands as if holding onto a rope, and then pulled back with them. As she did, the water in front of her rose up, following the motion of her hands. Grinning, Asami pulled her hands further back, drawing out a cord of water which she spun around her body. She stopped the water in place, and then let it freeze, starting at one end of the cord and then working up to the other.

_Perfect,_  said Katara's voice.  _This will do quite nicely. It's even easier than bending on my own, at least at my age. If matters weren't so serious, I would probably find myself having some fun with this._  Asami could feel the grin still on her face. Katara was having a bit of fun anyway, though she did carefully melt the water and return it to the swamp rather than letting the fun take hold of her.

Moving her hands downward, Asami rotated them around as Tenzin had guided her to do earlier, though the air refused to move this time. Asami blinked in confusion. Varina had told her that the lion turtle's claw fragment would be able to hold more than one type of bending at once, so Tenzin should still be there with her. But perhaps her connection to him had gotten pushed aside when she'd connected with Katara.

Asami closed her eyes, breathing slowly as she tried to focus on the energies of the two other benders. She could feel Katara easily, but Tenzin was a bit farther away. His energy seemed to have moved into the claw fragment right now. Okay, so it was probably storing it for her. That made sense; she wasn't the Avatar, so her body would only be able to hold one type of bending at a time. She'd have to switch out as needed.

Focusing on Tenzin's energy, Asami invited him back into her mind, while requesting that Katara back out for a moment. The energy flowed easily, quickly, and Asami soon felt her hands being guided to create a ball of wind once more. At least it wouldn't take her long to switch, but this did still leave her at a disadvantage if she had to fight Korra. Even with the world's best airbender and waterbender to help her, who were each possibly better with their own elements than Korra was, Korra would still have the ability to use more than one element at once. And that was even if she didn't go into the Avatar state. It wasn't going to be easy. But it might be possible.

As the ball of wind formed and Asami hopped onto it, she heard Light call out "Wait!" from beside her. She'd barely turned to the spirit before he'd jumped into her arms. Looking up at her, he said, "It's probably easier for you to just carry me."

Chuckling, Asami nodded as she sped off once more on the wind ball.

* * *

As Asami reached the edge of the swamp, she came to a stop. Dissipating the ball of wind beneath her, she stood back up. Light flew out of her arms and hovered nearby. "Are you ready to ask for more help?" he said. Asami nodded at him, and then he nodded back. "Okay. I'll watch over you, and make sure nothing happens to your body."

Smiling at Light, Asami closed her eyes. She let her mind reach out to the crystal on the necklace, telling it of her need for help. If she was following the traditional cycle of elements, then earth would be next. Toph was the obvious choice if Asami simply wanted the best earthbender in the world, but Asami hadn't met her before, so she might take some time to convince to help. Bolin would be easy to convince, and he did have the advantage of being able to lavabend… but lavabending wasn't likely to be very useful within the tree's hollow, and it could seriously hurt Korra.

No, lavabending wasn't worth it. But Toph might turn Asami down. One of her daughters, though… Yes, that could work. Asami held the image of Lin Beifong in her mind, concentrating on her need for help. Her consciousness drifted to the necklace, and she could feel a connection opening with the physical world once more. She guided it toward Republic City, searching out Lin.

_You have my apologies, Asami,_  spoke Izin's voice within Asami's mind, with an odd echo to it. The connection to the physical world twisted away from Lin before Asami could react.  _You cannot win the coming battle like this. It can be won, but you must regain what you have lost if you hope to do so._

The twisting connection to the physical world finally came into focus, revealing a wooden structure floating upon water. In the center of it was a wooden prison cell, bearing the White Lotus insignia on the top. The tunnel moved in, entering the prison cell and drawing Asami's mind in along with it.

The world blinked out for a moment as Asami's mind moved fully over to the physical world. Slowly, she was able to make out the world once more. A figure was lying down near her, just now waking from sleep, though the nature of the connection made it hard for Asami to get a clear look at them.

"What the…?" said the figure as they pushed themselves up to a seated position and turned their head toward Asami. "What's this about?"

She knew that voice: Kuvira.

* * *

"What?" Ty Zen said, finally giving in and turning around to see what was going on. Izin was right. The dark storm clouds seemed to have lowered to street level, and they were billowing up against the windows of the coffee shop. It really did look like the storm was threatening to get in. "Okay, that's not right." As she watched, a wave of light grew within the clouds, shifting between red, green, blue, and yellow.

"Definitely not right," came Izin's voice from behind her. "The spirit lights never come this far south… except during Harmonic Convergence, I guess. And even then, they didn't come this close to the ground."

Ty Zen nodded slowly. "Yeah…" she said. As she stared at the cloud, she could feel her skin beginning to tingle. It was just how she'd felt during Harmonic Convergence, except it was getting even more intense. Ty Zen found herself taking a step back from the window, nearly tripping over her chair as she did so. But as she backed away, the light seemed to follow her, pushing its way in through the window.

All at once, noise broke out in the coffee shop. People near the windows were the first to move away, with others soon joining them in an effort to get away from the light. Ty Zen, however, stood frozen in place. The light seemed to be heading straight for her, and the tingling of her skin picked up as it approached. She even found herself reaching out to it as it approached.

"Ty Zen…" Izin said. She could hear him standing up from his chair, but she didn't turn back to look at him. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

Ty Zen shook her head and cracked a half-grin. "Maybe not. But it feels right. Maybe this is what I've been waiting for."

"Waiting for…? What do you mean?"

"Destiny," Ty Zen said. She turned her head, looking back at Izin. "Fate. Haven't you ever felt that the world was guiding you to something? Dad always talked about that, but I felt like I'd missed it somehow. Until you invite me here, and this happens as soon as we meet up. It can't be a coincidence, can it?"

Izin shook his head, stepping forward. "Coincidences happen every day. That's why we have a word for them. And every time I've felt the world guiding me to something, it just ends up hurting me. Just because something seems fated, that doesn't make it good."

Ty Zen narrowed her eyes slightly, glancing back to the light. It had nearly reached her now. If she stretched out just a bit more, she could touch it. But at the rate it was moving, she could also easily get away if she wanted to. Almost unconsciously, her hand pulled back from it. It was interesting, but she didn't particularly feel like putting her fate in the control of an unknown force, when it came down to it.

"Alright. Yeah, let's get away from this." Just as Ty Zen began to turn, the sound of breaking glass hit her ears. The front windows seemed to have given out to the storm clouds pressing in from outside. She caught sight of the clouds quickly beginning to fill the room, and her instincts immediately kicked in. "Move!" she shouted, turning and beginning to push chairs out of the way so she and Izin had a clear path out.

She wasn't fast enough. Darkness soon filled her vision and she was enveloped by the clouds, mixed with occasional flashes from the spirit lights. Aside from the tingling on her skin though, it didn't seem to be doing much to her. Ty Zen reached out, trying to find Izin to make sure he was alright. If this wasn't doing anything directly to them, then the only real risk was of tripping on something or crashing into each other.

Even though she'd been almost certain of where Izin had been standing, Ty Zen's hands didn't manage to find him. "Izin?" she said. "Are you there?" No sound came in response. Ty Zen cursed, dropping to the floor and searching around on it with her hands, worried that Izin might have been knocked unconscious somehow.

For minutes, Ty Zen's hands turned up nothing. Eventually, the clouds around her seemed to dissipate, and she was able to see something of the coffee shop around her. The place was a mess, unsurprisingly. But Ty Zen couldn't care less about that. What she cared about was the fact that she didn't see a single other person inside.

"Izin?" she said, spinning around in place. The rear door of the shop had been left open, but would he have left without her? And wouldn't she have heard something if he'd been running to it? Or if he'd fallen down at some point?

Dread slowly began to fill Ty Zen. Fate hadn't been coming for her. It had come for Izin. And he'd told her it only ever seemed to hurt him.

"No…" Not this time. Ty Zen focused her breathing. She could feel fire pushing at her hands, begging to be set free in blast of angry firebending. She would save that, though, for whatever had come for Izin. Whatever it was, it had chosen the wrong person's brother to kidnap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once more to all my readers, and to my beta, Raijin Tora. Any and all reviews are appreciated - they really do help give me the drive to keep going.


	19. Time to Connect Once More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami is forced to ally herself with Kuvira to save Korra, but can Kuvira be convinced to help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I was at a conference all of last week, which put me behind schedule. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 8:**  Time to Connect Once More

* * *

 

Kuvira.

The woman responsible for her father's death. Not to mention all the other people killed, injured, or displaced from their homes in Republic City. All because controlling the entire Earth Kingdom wasn't enough for her.

So much damage. So much death. All at her feet. And now some force had taken over the link Asami needed to help Korra, and it had redirected it, bringing Asami face-to-face with her. This was the person she was now supposed to ask for help, or else give up and waste the energy she'd spent on forming this link. That really wasn't an option. Asami couldn't risk that she might not have the energy to connect with someone else, or that she wouldn't simply be brought back to Kuvira again.

As it always did in a crisis, Asami's analytical mind took over. There had to be a reason she was connected to Kuvira now. What were the words she'd heard "Izin" say to her? She wouldn't be able to win the coming battle in the state she was in. So she needed this somehow. But for what? Why did she need to face Kuvira? What was this supposed to gain her?

That was all assuming, of course, that this force actually wanted to help her, and this wasn't a way to try to subvert her plans. If it was… then perhaps there wasn't much Asami could do about it but try to make the most of it and enlist Kuvira's help anyway. If it was trying to help her, then it hadn't given her anything more to go on, so the only logical assumption was that it wanted her to do the obvious thing and ask for Kuvira's help instead of Lin's.

So her course of action was obvious, if not pleasant. Asami took a moment to try and relax and clear her mind. She needed to put her personal feelings aside right now, for the sake of Korra, and perhaps more, depending on what the Eternal had planned. She focused on the need for help, even if it was Kuvira she was asking it of, and she let her energy fill her chakras, asking them to do the speaking in her place.

"I'll keep this simple," spoke Asami's light chakra. It was beginning to get a bit difficult to speak through it. She must have started to run low on energy; it was impossible to say how much longer she could keep doing this. "I need your help to save Korra."

Kuvira's expression didn't show any change at these words, and it was a few torturous moments before she finally replied. "And just who are you?" she said at last.

"I'm Asami Sato," spoke the light chakra. Of course, Kuvira wasn't going to easily believe that as long as Asami was speaking with Izin's voice. Asami pulled back, refocusing her enery toward her sound chakra. As she pulled it back, she could already sense how much it had weakened. She really was going to need to find a way to convince Kuvira in as few words as possible. But that wasn't going to be easy.

"Do I sound like Asami now?" said Asami's sound chakra as she filled it with energy, speaking with Asami's own voice. It was even more of a strain energizing this chakra, probably due to the fact that it was still out of alignment.

"Yes," Kuvira said. Her eyebrows narrowed, almost imperceptibly. "That doesn't mean I'm convinced. Forgive me if I don't consider it very likely that Asami Sato is contacting me now, speaking mostly with a male voice, and asking for my help to save the Avatar."

Asami paused. She had to choose her words carefully. How could she get through to Kuvira? When it mattered, Korra had been able to get through by empathising with her, particularly with her need for stability and security. Was there something there that Asami could use? Maybe… Kuvira probably did have some respect for Korra. And Korra was probably Kuvira's best bet at getting a sentence any more lenient than a lifetime in prison.

" _I love you, Asami."_

Her father's final words echoed in Asami's mind. He'd spoken them just before Kuvira's colossus had crushed him, as casually as if she were swatting a mosquito fly. Asami's blood began to boil. Kuvira didn't deserve to get off easy for what she'd done. She deserved to spend the rest of her days in prison. The world was better off without her.

So why wasn't Asami's anger abating? Kuvira was already in prison. There was nothing more Asami needed to do to get revenge on her. And yet, Asami still wanted to… what? What did she want to do? There was nothing more she wanted to happen to Kuvira. So what was she angry at?

Her father? No… she'd worked through her anger at him. Seeing how pathetic he'd looked in prison, and seeing that he had changed, Asami had gotten over what he'd done. She'd even gotten past the fact that he'd once tried to kill her. It was in the middle of battle, after all… just like when Kuvira had killed him. No, she wasn't mad at him. Or at Kuvira.

But she was still mad. So mad, she wanted to scream out in rage. She couldn't, though. Through all of this, her voice still refused to return to her. Nothing had helped. Making her feelings clear to Korra should have done it, if anything. That was the biggest thing she'd been holding back, and which had started all of this off. But no, it hadn't brought her voice back to her.

They kept picking up clues about it. Korra said it was Asami's sound chakra. Varina said that it was out of alignment with the other chakras in her body. Fine. But that didn't tell Asami what she could do about it. All she'd been able to do was to figure out how to do without it, and to communicate without words. Maybe she was just proving she didn't need her voice. She could find other ways to connect with others when needed.

And right now, it was needed. She needed to connect with Kuvira. She needed… she needed to let out the anger she was feeling. The frustration. The grief. She'd been holding it back too long. Ever since the battle with Kuvira. She'd given Korra a shoulder of support when she'd exited the spirit portal, but Asami had held in the grief she was feeling. She'd kept it to herself, trying to be strong for others.

It was probably about time she let someone else be strong for her. She needed the help. When this was all over, she needed a shoulder to cry on. But until then, she needed Kuvira to provide the strength she needed to save Korra.

Asami tried to reach out to her light chakra, to get it to speak for her once more. She'd wasted too much time. She needed to say something, anything, to convince Kuvira. "I don't know how to convince you," it said. As it spoke, Asami could feel her energy fading with every word. "I just know I need your help to save Korra."

Kuvira moved in closer as Asami spoke, turning her head to the side as if straining to hear. She remained silent for a few more moments, eventually saying, "I suppose it doesn't matter who you are. Whether you are Asami Sato or not, it doesn't make any difference." Kuvira let out a slow sigh after this.

Asami was close. She could feel it. She just needed to push Kuvira the rest of the way. She just had to connect and figure out what was needed to convince her. Connect… that was it. Kuvira needed a connection. She needed a tether to the rest of humanity. She'd torn herself away from her adopted family and her lover, and then she'd lost the control she'd given up so much for.

Korra had been able to make a connection with Kuvira in the end, though. It was perhaps the only connection she had left. That was what would get Kuvira to help.

Asami focused her energy. Just a few more words. That was all she needed. She focused on her light chakra, viewing the path to it in her mind, and she pushed all the remaining energy she had toward it. Words began to form within it, and she was able to weakly get out, "Korra was there for you…"

Asami wanted to say more, but she was at her limit. Kuvira's gaze softened just a bit, though. She'd heard it. Maybe it would be enough. Asami analyzed Kuvira's expression closely, hoping she would relent.

It wasn't to be. Kuvira shook her head. "It's because of Korra that I'm here right now," she said. There was a hint of uncertainty in her words though. Asami wanted to pounce on that uncertainty, pressing it, exposing the truth. She couldn't though. Her mind had become a void, not a hint of her energy left. She could practically hear wind howling within the emptiness.

Wait. She could actually hear wind howling. She shouldn't have been able to hear anything from her body right now. She certainly hadn't before. So that must have been coming from within her own mind.

If Asami had been in contact with her body, she would have smiled right now. Of course: Varina's gift to her. The power to realign her chakras. The power to restore her voice, once she'd figured out how to.

This had to be it: connection. That was she was missing. She'd cut herself off from others, even from Korra. She wasn't going to make that mistake again. Her voice would help reform those connections, but it was just a tool. She had to be willing to use it, or even willing to find a way without it.

The howling of the wind picked up. Asami focused on it, guided it, and let it envelop her. An image of herself formed in her mind, with the sound chakra evident on its throat. Asami could see the wind swirling around it, slowly contracting. The image was embraced by the wind, and slowly pulled toward Asami. The chakra on its throat glowed, and for a brief moment, Asami made eye contact with the projection of herself.

And then finally, she was whole again.

* * *

 

The pain in Korra's stomach was constant now. As bad as it was, its constancy actually made it easier for Korra to handle. She was able to get used to it, to accept it. There was nothing she could do right now to stop it, so fighting it wasn't going to get her anywhere.

Pushing the pain to the back of her mind and peeling her eyes open, Korra peered at the spirit who shared this space with her. Master Sheng was perfectly immobile in his meditative pose. If he'd been human, she would have expected him to be a great earthbending master. He was immobile, but patient. There was just one thing Korra still didn't know, though.

"Do you have something planned?" Korra said. "Or are hoping some good opportunity will come up?" Master Sheng was silent and motionless in response. For a moment, Korra wondered if he'd heard her. But then, of course he had, with his sort of powers. He was probably just choosing his words carefully.

"I had a plan," Master Sheng eventually said. "I already acted upon it. Now I am waiting to see if it bears fruit. Aside from that, I am waiting for another opportunity to present itself. I have been unable to formulate another plan of action so far."

"Heh, yeah, same," Korra said. She let out a sigh and leaned back. The pain in her stomach decided to remind her of itself right now, but she promptly pushed it away again. All her attempts at meditation had gotten her nowhere. She wasn't able to properly meditate while she was in this place, probably due to the nature of it. Her mind had been pushed into the realm of dreams from the spirit world already, so she wasn't exactly sure where it might go if she did manage to meditate.

As Korra stared at the ceiling of the purple-colored tree hollow, flecks of brown slowly began to appear in it. Piece by piece, purple fell away, revealing the true color of the tree hollow. Korra quickly looked back down at Master Sheng, about to ask him if he saw that as well, but the pain in her stomach suddenly swelled up, past her ability to push it away.

Korra squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady her breathing. She wasn't going to succumb. Whatever was happening to her, she would bear it until she could find a way to fight back. She'd defeated Vaatu once before. Even if he were being reborn this minute, she would find a way to defeat him again. It wasn't over yet.

* * *

 

"Listen," came Asami Sato's voice, as the light began to shift. At first, Kuvira thought it was turning red, but it actually turned out to be revealing an image of Asami, currently seated in a meditative pose. Her voice came through clearly now, saying, "Korra may well be the closest thing to a friend you have right now. She fought to defend Republic City, not because she wanted to put you behind bars. If your life were in danger now, she'd help save you without a second thought - she already did so, in fact. Are you willing to do the same for her?"

Kuvira stared at the image of Asami, breathing slowly and heavily right now. If any of her guards were listening in, they probably thought she was going mad from the isolation right now. Perhaps she was, though she didn't consider it likely. She wasn't going to let herself focus on that question, though. That was just a distraction provided by her own mind to give her something easier to think about.

She had to face Asami's request. Asami was telling the truth right now. Korra had indeed risked her own life to save Kuvira. That meant that Korra was honorable, perhaps too much so for her own good. It didn't mean that Kuvira was forced to go out of her way to save Korra in turn. She hadn't asked to be saved. But the question wasn't whether Kuvira was obligated. The question was whether she was willing.

Part of her wanted to say no. It wanted her to resent Korra for defeating her. But then another part of her remembered that that wasn't at all what Korra had done when she'd lost in her first battle with Kuvira. She'd fought Kuvira again, but it wasn't personal; she'd proven as much when she saved Kuvira's life, risking her own in the process. Kuvira couldn't say that many others would have done the same. Even her adoptive mother, Su Yin, might not have.

That was it then. Looking into the light, Kuvira spoke. "I don't owe Korra anything," she said. "But she deserves to be saved. If I'm the only one who can help her, then I'll do so. What do you need me to do?"

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Asami spoke again. "Thank you. Step toward me, into the light. Then open up your mind and try to connect with me. I need to borrow your bending ability and skill to save Korra, so you'll have to guide me on using it. I'll explain what's going on as soon as I have a chance."

Kuvira slowly raised her eyebrow. An interesting request, but not one she had any reason to deny. There wasn't a single spec of dust nor scrap of metal here for her to bend, after all. "Alright," she said. She stepped forward, into the image of Asami, and she took a seat on the floor, mimicking Asami's pose.

She could feel something tug on her mind. It felt like part of her was being lifted up and out of her body. After a moment of defensiveness, Kuvira forced herself to drop her guard. This was what was needed.

The world around her began to rapidly shift. Kuvira tried to track it for a moment, but she was soon forced to shut her eyes to avoid becoming disoriented. Closing her eyes didn't get rid of all of the disorienting visions, but it did get rid of the sight of Kuvira's prison cell, simplifying matters at least somewhat. The swirl of visions eventually resolved itself into darkness - the insides of her eyelids. Her eyes opened, though Kuvira wasn't entirely sure that she'd commanded them to do so.

Earth. Kuvira could feel it before her mind was able to fully resolve the vision in front of her. She was back on land now, sitting down in the middle of a path at the base of a hill. It would have been all too easy to take a moment to simply allow herself to enjoy the feeling of being back with her element right now, but there was work that needed to be done.

Kuvira tried to push herself to her feet, but her body didn't immediately respond. After a moment though, she did rise, though it certainly wasn't Kuvira commanding her body.  _You're sharing my mind now,_  spoke Asami's voice within Kuvira's mind,  _along with Tenzin and Katara. I'll let you guide my motions when I need your bending ability. I'll try to explain all that's going on while we move. You can practice guiding my motions now if you wish, though we don't have much time._

It was probably for the best. Kuvira didn't want to risk fumbling in combat because she was operating in an unfamiliar manner. She tried once more to move her body, raising her right now. This time, it did indeed respond. She shifted her legs, firming her stance and pressing her heels down into the ground. As soon as she did so, a pillar of earth shot up from the ground, hovering just below her outstretched hand.

"Easy enough," Kuvira said, though it was Asami's voice that came out of her lips as she spoke. "Very well. Let's go."

"Asami!" came a high-pitched voice from off to her side. "Your voice is back!" it said excitedly.

Asami's head turned to the right, on Asami's command this time. She seemed to be able to effortlessly regain control of her body, shifting Kuvira into the metaphorical backseat of her mind. "It is," Asami said, a smile crossing her lips. "I think I finally figured out what I needed. Alright, Light, come here. Let's get going."

Kuvira caught sight of a spirit flying into Asami's arms. As Asami held it, Tenzin's presence seemed to move out in front of Kuvira. There was a slight air of suspicion in it, as if wondering why Kuvira was here, but no words were spoken.

As Asami used Tenzin's airbending to generate an orb of wind beneath her, the spirit spoke again. "Asami, I saw some dark clouds, filled with spirit lights, moving toward the Tree of Eternity. I don't know what it means, but we might be running out of time."

"I hope not," Asami said. She took a seat on the ball of air, which immediately propelled her forward, up the path into the cliffs. "But I fear you might be right."

* * *

 

Asami breathed slowly as she looked up at the Tree of Eternity, following Light's path up into the air with her gaze. He'd agreed to go scout out if he could see anything in the tree hollow while Asami sought out help from a firebender.

Asami could sense that her own energy reserves had only been replenished slightly since she'd contacted Kuvira, unfortunately. She probably had just enough to make contact with someone. At least she didn't need to use up energy by having her chakras speak for her anymore, but she probably wasn't going to be able to maintain the connection for long.

Thankfully, it wasn't hard at all to think of a firebender she could easily convince to help. All she had to say was "Korra's in trouble," and she could get Mako's help without question, or almost certainly Iroh or Zuko's help. Getting help wasn't the issue. The issue was deciding who to ask. Zuko seemed like the obvious choice. He was the most experienced, certainly, but unlike Iroh and Mako, he'd lacked familiarity with Korra's combat style.

Mako, on the other hand, didn't have nearly as much experience, but he was a strong natural firebender - perhaps even more so than Zuko, if the stories were true that the former Fire Lord had had to work to overcome his natural limitations. And Mako was intimately familiar with Korra's combat style.

Finally, Iroh struck a middle ground between the two. More experienced than Mako, but much less familiar with Korra's combat style. Probably not worth the trade-off there. He didn't have that much more experience with Korra to make him worth asking instead of Zuko.

Zuko or Mako then. Though now that she thought about it, Asami had gone through a calculation like this in choosing an earthbender to ask for help, only to have some force take the choice away from her, choosing Kuvira instead. For all she knew, the same thing would happen again. Though that might even be for the best. Whatever it was, that force's interference had led to Asami regaining her voice. Perhaps that was even what it had intended.

Maybe it could help again then, with this decision, if it was indeed on her side. It was worth a try. Failing that, Asami's gut was telling her to go with Mako. He'd be a bit easier to convince to help after all, as he knew Asami much better than Zuko did.

Nodding to herself, Asami took a seat. Steadying her breathing, she began to reach out with her mind. This time, though, she let her mind speak out.  _Alright. I know you're there, even if I don't know who or what you are,_  she voiced within her mind.  _But I think you want to help me. If that's true, then guide me again, to the firebender I most need the help of._

Once more, Asami heard Izin's voice within her mind.  _Of course, Asami,_  it said.  _Just say that you can help as well once you've connected._

Asami wasn't sure what to make of those words, but she nodded slowly. She reached out with her mind, letting her consciousness drift into the necklace she wore. It took almost all of her energy, but she was able to open a connection to the physical world. As soon as it was formed, she could feel it moving. The tunnel reached out, twisting through the physical world.

When Asami could first make out where she was, she seemed to be in a city of some sort. She didn't recognize the architecture from first-hand experience, though she was pretty sure she was in the Fire Nation. Was she being brought to Zuko, then? No... it didn't seem so. Her view was brought down to the street, where there seemed to be some sort of commotion. A woman, about Asami's age, was running, though whether she was running toward or away from something, Asami couldn't say.

She stopped though, when Asami found herself positioned right in front of her. "What the…?" the woman said. "Okay, this can't be a coincidence…"

Asami tried to look around, wondering if she might have missed someone she recognized among the crowd, by chance. She couldn't move her view, though; it remained fixed on this woman.

"Alright," Asami said. She'd asked the force in her mind for help, and it had brought her here. Even if she decided not to trust it after all, she didn't have the energy to open up a connection one more time. If this woman were even a half-decent firebender, she'd have to do. "My name is Asami Sato," she said. The woman's eyes widened momentarily. She'd probably heard of Asami before; that wouldn't be too strange. "This is going to sound strange, but I need your help."

The woman's eyes narrowed. "You need  _my_  help? Sorry, but you really have bad timing. Unless you can help me find my brother, this is one strange thing I'm going to have to pass up on."

Help. She needed help too. "I… might be able to help you," Asami said, recalling the words she'd heard from the force within her mind when it had agreed to guide her. "What happened to him?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. She looked off to the side for a moment, then let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders. "Ugh, I guess I might as well. Chasing clouds isn't doing any good. So fine, Izin and I were having coffee together, and… well, I think these weird clouds broke into the coffee shop to kidnap him. Or something controlling the clouds did. ...Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but you're not exactly in a place to complain about that right now, so don't start."

"...Izin?" Asami said. She focused on the woman's face. Her brother, she'd said. It was possible it was someone else with the same name, but there was certainly some family resemblance in her features. And with the strange events she'd just described… "Okay, I don't know what's going on," Asami said. "But you were right before. This can't be a coincidence."

"Yeah," the woman said. "Does that mean you can help then? Any leads on where he might be?"

Asami was about to say no, but she held her tongue. Something was bugging her from the back of her mind. Clouds. Light had mentioned strange clouds approaching the Tree of Eternity earlier. There was too much going on for this to be a coincidence. "Maybe. I think I might know where he is. If you help me, we might be able to find your brother as well. I can't make any promises, though."

After a moment, the woman let out a sigh. "Alright. I guess I don't have any better ideas. But there better be a damn good explanation for this." She cracked a half-grin. For a brief moment, Asami felt like she could see Korra's grin on this woman's face. "Anyway, my name's Ty Zen. What do you need me to do, Asami?"


	20. Earth, Fire, Air, and Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With all four elements now at her command, Asami attempts to rescue Korra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're approaching the end now. Thank you to everyone who's come along this journey with me, in particular my beta, Raijin Tora.

"I wasn't able to see Korra, or the other spirit in there," Light said. He hovered in front of Asami as he spoke. "There's a barrier in the center of the tree hollow, blocking the other side of it from my view. It looked red and fiery, mostly, though I also saw some rocks flying around in front of it. It also looked like the dark clouds I saw before are in there now."

Asami nodded slowly as she considered this. "Okay, thank you, Light," she said. When Asami had last seen Korra, she'd been generating some sort of barrier around herself. Asami had spotted all four elements being channeled in it, though Korra would have been limited on the amount of earth and water she could use. It was likely that fire and air made up most of the barrier.

This wasn't going to be easy. Asami had been hoping that perhaps Korra's barrier had been dispelled in the time since Asami had left, but that had been too much to ask for. Of course, the Eternal wasn't going to be taking any unnecessary chances. It had probably assumed Asami wouldn't be able to get through the barrier at all, at most finding a way to get past one or two of the elements. She had the ability to get past all four, but it would take time to do so. Not much, but just enough that she would lose the element of surprise.

_Well, not necessarily,_  came a voice from within Asami's mind. It was the woman called Ty Zen, the firebender Asami had recruited.  _It's a tree, right? It'll burn. Even as big as it is, I could burn us a way in through the back in half the time it would take to get rid of that barrier._

"No, that's not an option," Asami said. At Light's confused look, she clarified, "Damaging the tree. The tree is important. If it's damaged, it could affect the flow of time in the world. I'm not sure exactly what would happen, but I'm sure it wouldn't be good. It's probably tough enough to take a few stray blasts of fire, but we can't deliberately try to damage it." And that was even if Ty Zen was right that she could get through. Asami suspected the tree would be tough enough to prevent that. It didn't get this old by accident.

Asami felt Kuvira's presence in her mind pushing its way forward. She relaxed her guard, letting Kuvira take control of her body temporarily. "There may be another way we can maintain an advantage. As I understand it, the entity in the tree has no way of knowing that you have gained the ability to bend. We can likely use this to our advantage, if we can somehow convince the Eternal to drop the barrier or give us another means of access to Korra."

Feeling that Tenzin wished to speak, Asami allowed him to take over her voice. "As I understand it, the Eternal's control does not extend outside of the tree hollow. This means that if we can manage to get Korra's body outside of the hollow, it will lose its hold on her. If it does not expect us to be able to bend, then my airbending should be able to get the job done. This will require Korra being on the other side of the barrier, however."

"Right," Kuvira said, taking control of Asami's voice once more. "Generally, a battle is won by breaking the enemy's will to fight or their ability to fight. The former is generally preferable, but in the present circumstances, the latter is likely to be significantly easier. Tenzin's plan seems like our best way to win. I do not imagine we can defeat the Avatar in simple combat, but getting her out of the tree might be possible."

Having spoken her piece, Kuvira withdrew, leaving Asami fully in control of herself once more. "That sounds like a good option, if we can manage it. I don't know if we'll be able to get past the barrier without revealing our ability to bend first, though. But we'll see." For a moment, no one within her mind seemed to have anything to say. That likely meant agreement, though Asami couldn't say for sure, not being able to see them and judge their body language. "Any other thoughts? ...Katara? You've been silent so far."

After a moment, Katara spoke. "I think... this is a good idea," she said. She was silent for another few seconds before continuing, "I don't expect it to be easy, but I'm prepared to do my part to make sure we succeed."

"Um…" Almost before Asami realized it, Ty Zen took over from Katara. "Are you all forgetting about something here? My brother could be in there too. What are we going to do about him?"

Ty Zen pulled back, giving Asami a chance to reply. "The Eternal won't be able to control Izin," she said. "At least not directly. If he's unconscious, nothing changes. If he's conscious, he might be able to help us."

"Hmph. Fine. He just better not be being used as a hostage in there," Ty Zen said, taking over Asami's voice again.

"Um, Asami?" Light said. Asami glanced over at the spirit, who was still hovering in front of her. "That other spirit is in there as well, remember. And the Eternal probably can control him."

"An unknown factor," Kuvira said after a moment, using Asami's voice. "We don't know what his abilities might be. We will have to be on our guards. This doesn't change anything, though. The best plan is still to get Korra out of the tree. We can do the same with this spirit if necessary."

"Right," Asami said, reasserting control of her body. She took a deep breath. They couldn't waste anymore time. "Okay, thank you, Light. I'm going to have to head on without you from here."

Light nodded. "I know. And I know you can do it, Asami."

At these words, Asami allowed herself to smile at the spirit. "Thank you. I'll make sure to prove you right."

* * *

"I would like to speak with you," Asami said, projecting her voice. She wasn't entirely sure if the Eternal would actually be able to hear her. It could sense spirits, certainly, but she wasn't clear on if it could sense her own presence. Perhaps if Korra heard her though, that would be enough.

There was no apparent reaction to her words. Asami wasn't able to see through the barrier that Korra had set up in the middle of the hollow, so it was possible that something was happening on the other side of it. She gave the Eternal a minute to reply, taking a look around the hollow as she did so, in case she spotted something useful.

As Asami had suspected the barrier was made primarily of fire and air. Perhaps there was a sheet of water on the opposite of it, but it couldn't be very thick; Korra had only the water in her canteen to work with. The dust on this side was pretty sparse as well, likely made up only of the dust that visitors to the hollow had brought in on their feet. Asami would have to deal with the fire and wind to get through it, but it might be possible to simply overpower the other two elements with Tenzin's airbending. If that worked, it could give Asami a few extra moments while she still had the element of surprise on her side.

Aside from the barrier itself, there wasn't much of note in here. She didn't even see the dark clouds that Light had mentioned, which was perhaps a worrying sign. If they'd only now been moved to the other side of the barrier, then perhaps there wasn't much time left.

Okay, one last attempt to communicate. "I wish to negotiate," Asami said. "We don't need to resolve this through force, but I am not afraid to fight if necessary. Please, talk to me, and explain what you wish to do, and we can try to come to an agreement that will satisfy us both." Asami had her doubts that that would actually be possible, but all she needed was to get the Eternal talking, and then she could look for an opening to get Korra outside of the tree hollow.

Asami waited. Seconds passed, and then a full minute. The Eternal wasn't in the mood to talk.

_Alright, we're doing this the hard way. Ty Zen, you first. As soon as the barrier is down, Tenzin switch in. We'll dissipate the wind, then try to overpower the other two elements,_  Asami instructed.

_Gotcha, Asami,_  Ty Zen said. Asami let her mind relax, allowing Ty Zen to take over. As she did, she guided Asami's right hand toward the barrier, palm open. "Alright," she said, using Asami's voice. Her lips curled up in a half-grin. "You might be the Avatar's fire, but that doesn't mean she owns you. Let me show you who the real master is."

Asami was about to warn Ty Zen about giving away too much, but before she could even form the words in her mind, her hand rapidly grabbed, twisted, and then pulled back. The wall of flame followed Asami's hand back, as if she'd pinched a sheet and pulled on it. The fire closest to Asami's hand began to burn a bright blue, and she only had a moment to notice it spreading to the rest of the wall before her hand punched forward. A circular shockwave shot out from Asami's fist, tearing apart the wall of flame.

A few stray rocks shot past Asami as the flame wall was torn apart, taking much of the earthbending barrier with it. Tenzin quickly moved forward within Asami's mind as it disappeared, revealing a barrier of wind vortices behind it, and a thin sheet of water behind that.

Tenzin didn't waste any time. He guided Asami's arms in a quick circular motion, gathering up air from the barrier and collecting it around her. Within a matter of seconds, he'd built up a vortex surrounding Asami. Asami planted her feet firmly on the ground as she brought her arms to her sides, stretched outward. She quickly threw her arms back and leaped, propelling herself forward with a gust of wind.

Asami lowered her head as she impacted with the water barrier. The wind helped to dissipate some of it, but she still took a heavy impact with her body. It wasn't enough to stop her, though. As soon as she was through it, she brought her arms around in front of her bent some air to steady her landing.

This moment was critical. Asami's adrenaline was already flowing, making time feel as if it slowed down to give her the chance she needed to figure out what to do. She was planning to quickly scan the area, find Korra, and then try to get her outside, but it turned out that the clouds Light had spotted earlier filled the area, blocking Asami's view of anything more than a few feet in front of her.

That was easy enough to handle. Asami extended her arms to the sides and spun in place, releasing a quick blast of wind to disperse the clouds. The clouds were forced back from the force of the wind, giving Asami a bit more space in which she could see what was going on. The clouds didn't move far away, but they did move just far enough for Asami to be able to make out an outline of a body on the floor.

Asami dashed toward the body, getting ready to lift it up. She just had to get Korra's body up into the air, and then Tenzin's airbending could do what was needed to get her outside. It might be a rough landing for her if she was unconscious, but she'd survive at least.

Two things got in the way of that plan, unfortunately. The first was the realization that the body on the ground was not Korra. The second was the blast of wind that hit Asami from behind, causing her to lose her footing and tumble forward. Her instincts kicked in, wanting her to move her muscles to try and turn her fall into a somersault and spin, but hers weren't the only instincts at play here.

In a split-second, Asami decided to trust Tenzin right now. And so instead of hitting the ground, Asami leaped upward. She bent the air around her, guiding herself to spin in midair and immediately strike back at her attacker with a blast of wind of her own. As Asami found her footing, she was able to spot Korra easily dispersing the blast of wind Asami had sent her way.

The fact that Korra was active and fighting against Asami was bad, but she'd been ready for it. What was more worrying was the fact that Korra seemed to be surrounded by black tendrils, many of which seemed to extend through her abdomen. "What are you doing to her?" Asami demanded, though she feared she knew the answer already.

"I am reviving Vaatu," Korra said. Her eyes focused on Asami as she spoke, though the expression in them was one of fear. "And I will do so no matter what you may try to do to stop me. Your interference comes too late. Cease now and I will spare your life."

It wasn't even worth answering. Asami shot her arm forward, guiding the air in the hollow to try to push Korra toward the exit. She was able to force Korra to budge, but only a few feet before Korra found her footing. Korra punched her arm forward, shooting a blast of fire at Asami. Asami leaped out of the way of the fire, moving herself toward the back of the hollow; it would give her a better angle to slowly push Korra out.

Korra punched again, sending another fireblast Asami's way, followed by a quick kick which shot another fireball at her. Asami managed to evade both of them, but Korra followed up by bringing her hands together and channeling a continuous, wide blast of fire in Asami's direction.

_Let me!_  Ty Zen quickly overtook Tenzin in Asami's mind. She pushed her hand forward, causing the flame to stop in mid-air, as if it had met a wall. Asami squeezed her hand into a fist, and the wide blast was slowly pinched off. Just before it was completely gone, Asami pulled her fist back, pulling off a tendril of flame. She snapped it back forward like a whip, guiding it to one of the tendrils of darkness extending from Korra's stomach.

The flame stopped just after hitting the tendril, not making contact with Korra herself. The tendril seemed to recoil from this assault, and so Asami quickly guided it to another tendril. She was able to make contact with one more before Korra twisted away. "I already told you it's too late," Korra said. "You cannot stop this."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you," Asami replied. She flicked her wrist, and the flame whip in her hand began to glow a bright blue. It made contact with another tendril, managing to sever it in two. Both ends of it were still connected to Korra's stomach, but that had to have at least weakened it.

Korra moved away, managing to avoid Asami's next strike with the whip. She planted her feet firmly to the ground for just a moment, and Asami caught sight of something moving rapidly toward her. She twisted the whip to intercept it, managing to destroy the rock Korra had sent flying her way. The next rock was already flying toward Asami, however, and she wasn't going to be able to intercept it in time.

Asami released the whip, calling on Kuvira's power to stop the rock in midair. Korra sent further rocks flying Asami's way, but Asami was easily able to stop them now. As soon as it appeared like Korra was going to switch to a new tactic, Asami shot the rocks forward. She wasn't expecting to hit Korra, but she made sure to launch them such that Korra's easiest path to dodge would take her closer to the exit.

Korra did indeed dodge in this direction, but she'd already begun her next attack as she did so. Perhaps hoping that Asami couldn't bend water as well, Korra had gathered up the water in the room and frozen it, shooting shards of ice toward Asami.  _Ty Zen!_  Kuvira called out within Asami's mind. Without taking a moment to question it, Ty Zen took over and spread a wall of fire in front of Asami, melting the ice shards as they hit it.

A moment after the shards were halted, Asami caught up with Kuvira's reasoning. She hadn't yet revealed that she could bend water as well. This way, she kept that information from Korra, in case the surprise could serve her later.

Korra stepped forward, reaching out toward the water at Asami's feet. As she began to pull it up toward her, Asami punched forward, shooting a ball of flame at Korra's feet. Korra dodged back, pulling a whip of water with her and then snapping it forward. Asami dodged to the side, but Korra guided the whip to wrap around Asami.

Maybe it was time to bend water now after all. Asami was about to ask Katara to help, but Ty Zen was already in the process of protecting Asami from this attack. She brought Asami's arms in tight to her body, generating a ring of fire around her. She positioned the fire to intercept the whip, focusing to rapidly increase its temperature. The path of the whip seemed to adjust to try to avoid the ring, but Asami was able to keep up with it.

The water hissed as it contacted the ring of fire, evaporating into steam around Asami. Asami was about to unwind the ring and shoot it at Korra, but she was caught off-guard by a sudden blast of air from Korra. With the ring around her, Asami couldn't risk switching in Tenzin to help stabilize her fall for risk of hitting the fire. She had to get rid of the ring, which she did so by shooting it in the rough direction of Korra, hoping she'd dodge back once more.

Asami twisted her body, managing to land on her knees. She pushed forward, dashing toward Korra now and shooting off a barrage of fire at her. Korra brought her arms up to block the blasts, covering her face and dissipating each one with her own firebending, though the intensity of it did force her to take a few steps back.

When Asami got close, Korra suddenly threw her arms down, created a blast of wind around her which broke Asami's momentum and stopped her from reaching Korra. Asami switched Tenzin in, shooting her left hand out to blast air toward Korra in turn. Korra shifted to the side to dodge it, counterattacking as she did so with a blast of wind at Asami's feet. Asami leaped to avoid it, but Korra had already followed up with a shot of fire toward Asami.

In the air already, Asami couldn't airbend to dodge the fire quickly enough. Ty Zen was able to jump in and dissipate most of the blast, but not all of it. Asami grunted as it hit her, trying to ignore the burning in her chest that resulted from the injury. She could deal with that later. Right now, she had to figure out a way to get the better of Korra. The Avatar's ability to bend more than one element at a time was perhaps too much of an advantage.

As Asami landed, she caught sight of Korra preparing a follow-up attack, though her punch seemed weaker than normal, and only a weak flame came from her fist. Asami dissipated it almost effortlessly, and she looked into Korra's eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on. The fear she'd seen earlier had been replaced with determination. Korra was fighting back.

Asami took advantage of Korra's internal battle, switching to Tenzin's airbending and proceeding to unleash a series of gusts in Korra's direction. Korra was slower to respond than she had been before, but she still did manage to defend herself from the majority of the gusts. As Korra fought off Asami's barrage, Asami caught sight of the dark clouds in the hollow concentrating above Korra, even despite the amount of wind Asami was blowing in that direction.

Colorful lights began to dance in the clouds above Korra's head, reminding Asami of the lights she'd seen in the sky during Harmonic Convergence. They seemed to empower Korra, and she soon stopped retreating under Asami's onslaught. For a moment, her eyes seemed to glow as if she were going into the Avatar state, but the light soon flickered out. Korra must have been fighting back in there, keeping the Eternal from unleashing all of Raava's power. But as Korra's eyes slowly filled with a white glow once more, it began to look like it might not be enough. Asami was having enough trouble with Korra already; there was no way she'd be able to take on Korra in the Avatar state.

_Now! Let me!_  spoke Katara from the back of Asami's mind. Trusting in the woman's judgment, Asami let her move in, taking Tenzin's place. Asami let off on the wind barrage, raising her hands up, then pulling quickly backward. The clouds responded to her grasp, moving away from Korra and toward Asami.

As the clouds left Korra, the light in her eyes began to fade again. Korra reached her hands up to try to pull the clouds back, but it soon became apparent that she wasn't a match for Katara's ability, and the clouds moved inexorably toward Asami. The colored light still flickered in the clouds, and even Asami could feel the power within them as they neared her.

Giving up on the clouds, Korra stepped toward Asami, unleashing a bolt of fire with a punch. Asami watched Korra's movements closely, using her own combat instincts to dodge Korra's attacks while Katara gathered the clouds. She still didn't know what Katara might be planning, and Korra was getting farther from the exit now, but Asami had to trust that Katara knew what she was doing.

Asami's hand suddenly thrust forward. "Stop," she said. Surprisingly, Korra did, frozen in place. Her muscles struggled to move, but something seemed to be preventing them from doing so. "I didn't want to have to do this," Asami said, Katara's mind guiding her voice. "I fought to make bloodbending illegal for a reason. But when someone else is already trying to control Korra's body, I'll make an exception."

Katara's bloodbending slowly overpowered Korra, forcing her to step back. It was taking nearly all of her strength to do this, however. The spirit energy contained within the clouds she'd gathered above Asami seemed to be giving her just the strength she needed to bloodbend right now. But Asami could feel the energy beginning to fade. The Eternal had some sort of control of the clouds as well, and it was pulling them away.

Asami wouldn't be able to keep this up long enough to force Korra out of the tree hollow, but she didn't need to. Korra was unable to fight back now, and that was all Asami needed. With her left hand thrust out, holding Korra in place, Asami dashed forward. Her right hand reached down to her belt, deftly putting on her electrified glove and detaching it from the belt.

Meeting Korra's eyes for a moment, she gave her girlfriend an apologetic look just before she brought her right hand forward. This was going to hurt, but it had to be done. Asami hit the release on her glove, discharging energy from its capacitors. Lightning leaped out from the glove, striking Korra's body. For a second, Korra tensed in pain, and then the electricity overwhelmed her.

Korra's body collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Asami came to a stop, breathing slowly. She'd done it. She disengaged her glove, then reached down. She still had to get Korra outside of the tree hollow to be sure she would be safe.

"Wait," came a rough voice from behind Asami. "I was not lying. It is already too late."

Asami turned her head. In the far corner of the tree hollow, she was able to make out the rough figure of the meditating spirit she'd seen here earlier. It seemed now that Korra was unconscious, the Eternal was using it to speak with Asami now. "What do you mean, it's too late?" Asami said.

"Vaatu is too close to being reborn," said the spirit. "Even if you remove Korra from here, and cleanse her of the darkness I have been using to rebirth Vaatu, he will still be reborn, likely within a matter of days. If this happens outside, I will be powerless to control him. He will be born within the Avatar, corrupting her from within."

Asami narrowed her eyes, breathing slowly. She wasn't entirely sure she could believe the Eternal here. It had caused all of this after all. "Why should I believe you?" she said. "More importantly, why should I believe things will be any better if I let you continue with what you had planned?"

The spirit slowly, laboriously rose to its feet. "Because, my plan is to bring balance. The world has fallen out of balance, but I can restore it. I will use the energy of Harmonic Convergence I've stored here to create a new Dark Avatar, but not one like Unalaq who will succumb to Vaatu's will. I will create one who can provide balance: A nonbender, with a mind forged and refined through hardship, which will only become more so after a merger with Vaatu."

"In other words…" came a male voice from off to the side of the spirit.

Asami's eyes shot over to the source of the voice, spotting the body she'd seen lying on the floor earlier. The man slowly rose to his feet, and Asami didn't even need to see his face to figure out who it had to be. The sound of his voice, along with what Ty Zen had said earlier, was all Asami needed.

"You plan to turn me into the next Dark Avatar," Izin said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading! Please do leave a comment if you've enjoyed (or not and want to say so).


	21. Equivalence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final showdown with the Eternal, and the truth of its plans is finally revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much big news this week: Korrasami comics confirmed, first close-up images of Pluto, and the sad passing of Satoru Iwata (the CEO of Nintendo). In order: Yay, yay, and boo.
> 
> Thanks as ever to my beta, Raijin Tora.

**Book Three:**  Answer

**Chapter 10:**  Equivalence

* * *

 

I fall for a moment, but I quickly manage to find my feet. Where am I? What had happened?

It takes a bit, but I find myself again. The last thing I remember is Asami electrocuting me with her glove, and then consciousness faded from me. And then I saw… something. A vision of some sort. Possibly two visions.

Perhaps it was something like a dream, my mind going haywire for a moment as I was knocked out. That seemed likely.

As my mind reaches the present, I look around. Nothing but darkness surrounds me at first. After a few seconds, a white circle grows out from my feet, as if outlining a platform I'm standing upon. Once it reaches its maximum size, twelve marks appear along the outer edge, and two large beams of light stretch out beneath me.

A clock face. I've been here before, in the Tree of Time, when I saw my first vision from Avatar Varina's life. So I'm not simply unconscious and dreaming then. At least, I might not be.

I turn upward, finding a furious red star having appeared in the sky above me. The spirit who resided in the Tree of Time, most likely. But why was it here? Or was it… "Are you… the Eternal?" I say.

The red orb is silent for a moment, but then it speaks, pulsing with each word. "I am not," it says. "I understand why you might think so, Avatar Korra. Rest assured, we share a common foe in the Eternal."

I narrow my eyes as I look at the star. I'd only ever contacted this spirit while in the Tree of Time, and I'm pretty sure Varina had never contacted it elsewhere either. "Then what are you doing here? This isn't your tree," I say, still not entirely sure this was indeed the same spirit. But for now, I would trust it.

"The Tree of Time is my home," the spirit says, "but that does not mean I cannot leave it. I came here with your friend, Asami Sato, so that I might ensure that the Eternal's plan could be stopped. She has been successful so far."

I nod slowly. "Yeah. She has been. It should be over now, though, right? If the Eternal can't use me to fight against Asami, there's really nothing left to get in her way."

"That is correct," the spirit says. "She is free to act as she believes best. It is not yet guaranteed, however, that what she believes to be best will actually be so. Humans never fully know what the future might bring, and I am certain that the Eternal will try to keep Asami Sato from making the correct choice."

I furrow my brow, nodding slowly. "Asami's smart, though. She's not going to fall for a trick. I trust her."

"I do as well," the spirit says. "She is an ideal champion for this battle. But her victory is not yet assured."

In front of me, I see a tower of green light begin to grow. It branches out in many directions, and then many of these branches split as well. From the base of the green trunk, a red beam of light crawls upward.

"The path of time is like a tree. Early on, many possible futures lie open to us. But then we make choices," the spirit says. The red beam of light turns off, crawling up one of the branches. As it crawls up this branch, other branches fall away. "With each choice, we limit the possible futures that may come about." The branch the red light had climbed up shifts, becoming a new trunk. The green light climbs up again, once more branching off into various paths.

"The Eternal planned wisely. It is never possible to ensure a specific future will come about, but it was nevertheless able to set events in motion such that almost every outcome involved its victory." As Time spoke, the tips of most of the branches turned from green to a dark blue, leaving just a few scattered green branches. "Many humans would have made a mistake at one point or another, but ever since she has become aware of the Eternal's plan, Asami Sato has avoided any such mistakes. She did not always know what the best path was, but she was willing to ask for help when needed, and I was able to provide it for her. She chose wisely, always heading down the path with the greatest chance of a positive outcome."

The red light rose through the tree once more, making its way through the branches, heading toward one of the few green tips. At last, it came to a stop at a junction, one path leading to a blue tip, and the other to a green tip.

"At present, there are only two remaining possible futures, speaking in broad strokes. One in which the Eternal wins, and one in which it fails. One in which Izin Oum will become the one who shares my name, as the new destroyer of worlds, and one in which he will turn the power of death toward the cause of life, harnessing a force of destruction and using it to power humankind's path into the future."

My eyes widen as I hear this. "Those visions I had... They're the two possible futures, right?"

"That is correct," the spirit says. The tree it had used to illustrate its speech fell away. In its place, light rays traced an outline of Asami's figure, and then a sketch of my body lying prone in front of her. Above the image of my body, the rays traced an outline of Vaatu rising from it. "The events set in motion have guaranteed that one of those two futures, or something very similar, will come to pass. Asami Sato's actions will decide which of these futures it will be. She will of course endeavor for the brighter future, but she may not know the path to it."

I gaze at the image in front of me for a long minute. I don't know the path to it either, but Time couldn't be showing me all this for no reason. And I'm not out of the game yet, either, I realize. The corner of my mouth curls up. "Alright. I think I know what you want me to do."

* * *

Asami's eyes widened. Her gaze met with Izin's, but she was unable to read his expression for once. As emotive as his eyes normally were, for once they were unreadable. Maybe that wasn't surprising. With such a proposal, it was hard to say how he might react. He probably didn't even know himself how to react right now.

On the other hand, Asami knew exactly how to react. "No," she said. "This isn't the solution." Her eyes snapped back to the other spirit in the tree hollow, who the Eternal was currently using as its voice. "If you thought you'd be able to convince me that this was the right course, you would have done so in the first place. You wouldn't be holding your arguments back until you had no other way to stop me. So I don't believe you when you say that this is a good idea."

The spirit was silent for just a moment. "I knew I would not be able to convince you," it said at last, "but this does not mean that I am not right. It means you are allowing your irrationality to cloud your judgment, and you would have done so if I had explained in the first place. There is no reason to fear the darkness. It can be harnessed to a noble goal."

"If your goal is so noble, then why do you continue to hide it?" Asami said. "You still haven't told me what your endgame is. Making a new Dark Avatar can't be your final goal. What do you hope Izin will do?"

Once more, the spirit was silent. "It is not what I hope he will do," it said. "It is what I know will happen. As the new Dark Avatar, Izin Oum will restore the balance that the world has lost. Ever since the genocide of the Air Nomads, the world has drifted further and further from balance. This will soon be corrected."

Asami narrowed her eyes. The Eternal still wasn't telling her exactly what it had planned, but she was liking the prospects less and less.

"So…" Izin said. Asami turned to him as he spoke, though his gaze was now focused on the spirit. "Is this why I was born a nonbender? Because this was my fate all along?" His voice was steady, giving nothing away. Could he seriously be considering what the Eternal was offering?

"This is correct," the spirit said. "From the moment of your birth, you were shaped for greatness. Believed to be the eighth child of an eighth child of the Oum lineage, but without the expected bending ability of one in your position, the pressure placed upon you forged you into the man you have now become. A man who unlocked one of the most powerful secrets of reality, and who can guide the world as humanity decides what to do with it."

"A secret, what do you-" Asami began to say, but she found herself cut off. Ty Zen pushed herself forward, guiding Asami's lips to speak a different question. "Wait, what do you mean 'believed to be the eighth child of an eighth child'? I thought he actually was that?"

Izin turned to face Asami as she spoke these words, a faint hint of surprise on his face now. The spirit turned to Asami as well, and it shook its head. "The Lord Oum's mate prior to his wife bore him a child he never knew of. Izin was his ninth child, not his eighth. But this is irrelevant, as Izin was fated for another path, regardless of how many children his father had before him."

Asami was silent for a moment, making sure Ty Zen wasn't going to interrupt her again. It was a bit disconcerting that Ty Zen was able to do that, but at least Asami seemed to have full control of her body now. "Right. You said something about a secret of reality. What could possibly be so important?"

A moment passed, and then it wasn't the spirit who replied, but Izin. "The equivalence principle, you mean?" he said, facing the spirit now. "I know it's a big idea, but…"

"A big idea which will have profound consequences once humanity develops a method to harness it," the spirit said. It unsteadily took a step closer to Izin, its eyes opening just a bit wider as it looked at him. "You've done the calculations already, haven't you? The implications are obvious. If not you, then someone else will find a way to harness it. You must be in control. It's the only way to ensure this power is controlled."

"Wait," Asami said, stepping forward, between the spirit and Izin. She looked over at the spirit first. "Okay, let's start with this: What in the world does this have with making Izin a new Dark Avatar?"

The spirit's head tilted back as it looked up at Asami. "If I hadn't acted, Vaatu would have been reborn eventually inside the Avatar. By acting first, I can select the individual best equipped to resist Vaatu's influence. Izin Oum has had a lifetime of experience facing hardship and refocusing dark impulses toward positive goals. He can resist Vaatu's influence and be the dominant force of the Dark Avatar, using Vaatu instead of being used."

Asami narrowed her eyes. Izin did have a history of resisting dark temptations. He could have fallen in with the Equalists, but instead he'd sabotaged them from within. He could have turned against the Avatar, but he'd overcome his hate and built a successful life of his own. But Vaatu was something else. "No," she said. "As I said before, if you thought I would agree to this, you would have told me before. It's too late to get me to believe you now."

"Believe me or not," the spirit said. "It does not matter. Your only other choice is to allow Vaatu to be born free from my control. I assure you, this is the worst possible outcome."

Asami shook her head. "I'm not done trying to find another way," she said. She turned to Izin, meeting his gaze. For a moment, she didn't speak. She simply gazed at him, trying to form a connection. "Izin…" she said. There was hesitance in his expression right now.

Izin broke from Asami's gaze, shaking his head. "This might be the least bad outcome," he said. He turned his head to the side, closing his eyes. "All my life… maybe it's been preparing me for this. Maybe this is what I've been waiting for… my destiny."

"Izin," Asami said sharply. His head snapped back, looking over at her. Words came to her now, though she wasn't entirely sure if they were her own. "'Every time I've felt the world guiding me to something, it just ends up hurting me. Just because something seems fated, that doesn't make it good.' You told me that."

Izin blinked in confusion. "I did?" he blinked again, then shook his head. "No, I told that to my sis…" Izin met Asami's gaze again. "I told that to my sister, just before I passed out. How do you know that?"

Asami cracked a half-smile. She extended her hand, palm upward, and lit a flame above it. She extended her finger and twirled the flame around it as she spoke. "It's me, Izin. Do you really think this woman could have defeated the Avatar on her own?"

Izin's eyes widened. He gazed at Asami for a minute, before finally replying, "Well, I wouldn't entirely rule it out…" He chuckled and shook his head. "But I did say that, didn't I?" He slowly looked back over at the spirit. "But the fact that it seems fated doesn't mean it has to be bad either, does it?"

"No," Asami said. And it was Asami this time; she was sure of that. "We have to figure that out for ourselves. Tell me, Izin: Why do you think this might be a good idea?"

For a moment, Izin kept his gaze focused on the spirit. "...Because it's right. The world knows about equivalence now. It's only a matter of time before someone tries to weaponize it. I don't know how I can stop it… but maybe if I could put Vaatu to work for me, I could figure out how."

A flicker of blue in the corner of Asami's vision caught her eye. She looked toward its source even as she began to speak. "Okay, what exactly is the equivalence principle…?" she said. As she looked over in the direction of the light, she caught sight of Korra's body, which had now begun to glow blue. She might have to deal with that soon. "Maybe we can work together to handle it."

Asami's eyes were focused on Korra's glowing body, but she saw Izin slowly nod at this. "Maybe…" he said, then let out a sigh. "It's the equivalence between matter and energy. I was trying to figure out how to solve the speed of light paradox, and I couldn't get around it. Even at rest, matter is equivalent to energy. An enormous amount. So much, that if someone could figure out how to convert it…"

The world flashed blue before Izin could finish his sentence.

* * *

_**Equivalence: Death, Destroyer of Worlds** _

"It worked."

The voice comes first. Then comes the noise. The ground rumbles, the sky howls. They cry out in pain. They're being torn apart, faced with overwhelming energy.

Light comes next. The sky is on fire, lit with a brightness thousands of times that of the sun. The light illuminates the men and women alongside me, the shadows on their faces appearing almost pitch-black in comparison to it.

One of the men breaths slowly, gazing out the window with awe, bordering on fear. The woman next to him is stoic, almost emotionless, though her eyes betray a sense of wonder and her lips form a tight line. On the other side of her, a man turns his head down, closing his eyes.

I did this. An outburst of energy dwarfing even the explosion in Republic City, which had torn open a new spirit portal. All because of me, because of the equivalence principle, proven now in its ferocious glory.

One of my fingernails could have done it. Just a few grams, converted directly into energy, and this was the result.

It's far too late to remove the knowledge of equivalence from the world. If we hadn't done this, someone else would have. But we had. And now I would teach the world to fear it.

The world blinks. Reality unwinds.

* * *

_**Equivalence: Lightning in a Bottle** _

"It worked!"

The voice comes first. Then comes the noise. The ground rumbles, the sky howls. They cry out in wonder, experiencing the event alongside us. Energy cascades through them, though its source is thankfully distant enough from us that, overwhelming as it is, what we hear is only a faint whisper compared to its true might.

Light comes next. The sky is alive, lit with a brightness thousands of times that of the sun. The light illuminates the men and women alongside me, giving each of their faces an unearthly glow.

One of the men breaths slowly, gazing out the window with awe, with perhaps a touch of uncertainty. The woman next to him is stoic, almost emotionless, though her eyes betray a sense of wonder, and her lips slowly curl up into a smile. On the other side of her, a man leans his head back, closing his eyes.

I did this. An outburst of energy dwarfing even the explosion in Republic City, which had torn open a new spirit portal. All because of me, because of the equivalence principle, proven now in its wondrous glory.

One of my fingernails could have done it. Just a few grams, converted directly into energy, and this was the result.

It's far too late to remove knowledge of equivalence from the world. If we hadn't done this, eventually someone else would have, perhaps to use it as a weapon. But we had no such designs.

This was the easy part. The hard part was harnessing it. It will take many more years of work, but it will be worth it. There's enough fissionable material in the world to power all of humanity's endeavors for millennia to come. Not a permanent solution, but more than long enough for someone else to come up with something better.

The world blinks. Reality unwinds.

* * *

"What was that?" Izin said, panic in his voice.

The blue light… Korra's body wasn't glowing any longer. But now that it wasn't glowing, it was apparent just how close Vaatu was to being reborn. Tendrils of darkness were slowly beginning to grow from her stomach, reaching outward. "It was Korra," Asami said. The imminent threat had gotten her mind to run in overdrive, piecing the clues together about what had just happened. She turned back to Izin. "Back during Harmonic Convergence, she connected with the cosmic energy in the Tree of Time, assuming a spirit form. She must have connected here as well to show that vision… those visions to us.

"That's what you're afraid of, isn't it?" she said, connecting her gaze with Izin's. "What someone might do with knowledge of the equivalence principle?"

Izin nodded slowly. His body seemed to shake slightly as he spoke. "Exactly. That was…" Izin shook his head. "It can't happen that way."

"It doesn't have to," Asami said. She reached forward, placing a hand on Izin's shoulder. She waited until he looked up, meeting her gaze. "Not the first way. Remember, there were two visions. In the second vision, it was only a test, not the final goal. Maybe even the most destructive forces in the world can have some uses for good. Even Kuvira's spirit weapon had the benefit of opening up a new spirit portal, after all."

"This," said the spirit off to Asami's side, "is what I have been trying to convince you of. Even Vaatu can be used for good."

Izin glanced over at the spirit, but Asami quickly placed her other hand on his other shoulder, prompting him to look back at her. "Don't listen to it. That was a vision of your future. What you might become with and without Vaatu. Do you really think the version of you who merged with Vaatu is going to be the one who doesn't want to weaponize that power?"

It only took a moment after she said this before Izin let out a chuckle. "Of course not," he said, a smile on his face now. "You're right. Vaatu isn't the way. He can't be."

Asami allowed a smile to cross her face. She'd done it. She'd gotten through to him.

"It is unfortunate that you feel this way," said the spirit, grabbing Asami's attention once more. Asami let go of Izin's shoulders, turning to look at the spirit now. "This will make matters significantly more difficult for me. But not, however, impossible." The spirit slowly raised up one of its hands.

The light in the tree hollow seemed to dim. A sinking weight in her chest, Asami turned around, toward Korra's body, gazing upon a sight which chilled her to the core. Tendrils of darkness reached out to either side of Korra's body like arms, pushing against the floor. Slowly, a thin, dark body pulled itself out of Korra's stomach. Vaatu, just as Korra had described him.

"No…" Asami said. In the back of her mind, she could feel Tenzin and Katara's spirits becoming gripped with fear. Ty Zen seemed to be filled at rage, most likely at the prospect of Izin becoming possessed by Vaatu against his will. Kuvira… was oddly calm.

 _It's not too late,_  Kuvira said within Asami's mind.  _Don't give in just yet. You still have options._

Asami breathed slowly.  _Right,_  she replied. She still had bending abilities, after all. If she had to, she'd try to defeat Vaatu herself before he could possess Izin. If she won, they'd just be back to where they started. "Izin…" she said. "Run."

Izin glanced at Asami for just a minute. Their eyes met, and he nodded. He made a dash for the exit from the tree hollow, but one of Vaatu's tendrils snapped forward and wrapped itself around him before he made more than a couple steps. It was so fast, Asami wasn't ready to react before it had happened.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Vaatu said, his body moving in closer to Izin. "It is over. Simply accept your fate and this will all be much easier for all of us."

Izin slowly shook his head. "I… can't. I can't let you do… that…"

"You fool!" Vaatu said. His tendril squeezed Izin tighter, pulling him closer. "You and your kin have let yourselves become a cancer on humanity. You push recklessly toward the future, not knowing what it might bring, leaving the destruction of your entire race as the only possible outcome. I am trying to save you from that. Humanity must be shown to fear this power. They must be cowed into giving up their dangerous quest for ever more knowledge and power over nature. It is the only way to restore balance."

"You're wrong," Asami said, stepping toward Vaatu. So this was the Eternal's true goal. It wanted to turn Izin into a Dark Avatar so that he would make humanity fear him. And by extension, they would fear progress. "We don't have to be afraid of progress. Change is inevitable, and fighting that is what will lead to suffering. We've seen a future where this power is to be put to a good use."

Vaatu turned, facing Asami now. His body seemed to glow with darkness as he spoke. "A future filled with fools who think they can contain such a power. Do you seriously believe they can so?"

"I do," Asami said. She took a step toward Vaatu. Her heart was pounding in her chest right now, but she wasn't going to let fear overcome her. "The better side of humanity will win out. It always has."

"Believe it if you wish. That doesn't make it true," Vaatu said. It turned to Izin once more. "It is time we finished this."

"No," Asami said. She could feel Ty Zen's rage burning within her right now, and it was just what she needed. She squeezed her hands into fists, and fire burst out to encompass them. She punched forward, shooting a ball of flame at the tendril which had encompassed Izin. The tendril recoiled from the blast, but two more quickly shot out from Vaatu's body to hold onto Izin. Another tendril shot out toward Asami, but this time she was ready for its speed, and she managed to dodge it.

"Darkness cannot be defeated," Vaatu said as he continued to attack Asami. Asami was able to ward off its attacks with a rapid barrage of fireballs, but it quickly became apparent that this was a losing battle. She needed the power of the Avatar to fight against Vaatu, and that wasn't an option now. "You know this. Accept it."

Asami shook her head. As Kuvira had reminded her, she still had options. "I might not be able to destroy it," she said, jumping out of the way of one of Vaatu's tendrils. "But I can defeat it." She let Ty Zen's rage fuel her strength, and she extended her hand outward, heating the fire around it. "I don't need to destroy Vaatu to win," she said. "I need to defeat the Eternal. And it's just given the game away."

Vaatu let out a laugh at this. "Have I?" he said. "You truly are more foolish than I thought. To think I was so worried that you might foil my plans that I ensured Sheng couldn't restore your voice! Apparently I needn't have bothered." Vaatu shot out a cluster of tendrils at Asami, but she brought up her free hand to generate a wall of fire in their path.

"You can believe that," she said, glaring at Vaatu and spitting his words back at him. "That won't make it true. You've told me how to defeat you. You fear progress. You fear the future. So that's what I'm going to give to you." Asami extended her hand, pointing it at the wall. As her wall of fire temporarily kept Vaatu's attacks at bay, she continued. "Varina explained the role of this tree to me. It grows in concert with the Tree of Time. This tree holds onto the past, keeping the world from progressing too quickly. So what do you think will happen to the world if I burn a hole in it right now?"

For just a moment, Vaatu's attacks against Asami's firewall stopped. "You wouldn't. You have no idea what chaos it will bring."

"I know it can't be worse than what you're planning," Asami said, narrowing her eyes. A grin slowly spread across her face. She had it. "And I know you'll hate this a ton more than I will."

A moment passed, and then Vaatu let out a laugh. "A valiant effort," he said. "Perhaps I didn't underestimate you after all. There is just one problem with your plan: This tree has weathered more than you can possibly imagine. Your simple firebending cannot hope to damage it."

"Are you sure?" Asami said. She squeezed her fist, and the fire surrounding it turned blue, and then a bright white. "When I needed a firebender's help, I asked a helpful spirit to guide me to the most powerful firebender I could get to assist me. I got Ty Zen Oum, Izin's sister. And if I'm not mistaken, she was born immediately before him, right?"

 _Right,_  Ty Zen said. Asami could tell from the tone of her voice that Ty Zen had come to the same realization as Asami had.

Asami nodded. "You told me yourself that the Lord Oum had a child he never knew about, which led him to mistakenly think Izin was his eighth child. The eighth child of an eighth child, fated for something great. But Izin wasn't the eighth. Ty Zen was." Asami could feel the heat radiating off her hand. Ty Zen was mostly keeping it contained to the fire, but with how hot the flame had gotten, even her efforts weren't quite enough.

"She… her power is irrelevant. She was never trained to use it," Vaatu said, though Asami could hear uncertainty in his voice. "I averted the course of fate so that her power would never come into play."

"Well you were wrong," Asami said. The flame surrounding her hand seemed to be boiling now, and sparks danced within it. "If anyone can burn a hole in this tree, she can. So you have a choice: Give up, or we see what happens when I release this flame."

For a long minute, Vaatu was silent. Asami forced herself to keep her face steady. She couldn't let her own fears show through right now.

Finally, Vaatu spoke. "We cannot release Vaatu. This would be the worst outcome for all of us."

Asami grinned, letting her body fill with relief. "He spent ten thousand years imprisoned by the Avatar in the Tree of Time. He can spend the next ten thousand here. I figure being his jailor is a fitting punishment, after what you've tried to do."

Through the wall of fire, Asami could make out Vaatu's tendrils retracting from around Izin. "Agreed," he said simply.

Asami let out a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. It was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for sticking with me through this. I have plans for an epilogue to tie up some final loose ends, so stay tuned for that.  
> Oh, and don't say I didn't drop hints about Izin. I may make a list at some point, for those who missed them.
> 
> As ever, any and all comments and reviews are appreciated!


	22. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the crisis averted, allies go their separate ways, and Korra and Asami can finally take a chance to enjoy their holiday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for taking so long with this. I came down with an illness over the past few weeks, which completely sapped my writing energy. But I'm finally done, and with this to close it off, this fic breaks the big 100,000 words mark!
> 
> Anyway, thank you to everyone who's stuck with this fic to the end! I hope you've all enjoyed it. I have a few ideas for future fics, so if you're interested, be sure to follow me!
> 
> And a final time, my thanks to Raijin Tora for all her beta-ing!

**Author's Note:**  My apologies for taking so long with this. I came down with an illness over the past few weeks, which completely sapped my writing energy.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who's stuck with this fic to the end! I hope you've all enjoyed it. I have a few ideas for future fics, so if you're interested, be sure to follow me!

And a final time, my thanks to Raijin Tora for all her beta-ing!

* * *

**Unspoken Words**

**Epilogue**

**Teaser:**  With the crisis averted, allies go their separate ways, and Korra and Asami can finally take a chance to enjoy their holiday.

* * *

Warm. She was warm.

It took Korra's mind some time to piece together where she was. The electric shock from Asami's glove had left her mind jumbled, and being pulled into a meditative state while she was asleep just left her even further out of sorts. She wasn't sure where she was, but she could no longer feel that horrible pain in her stomach that had accompanied the Eternal's efforts to resurrect Vaatu.

Okay, there was one thing she was sure of now. She was with Asami. She was quite close to Asami, in fact. She was in Asami's arms, with her friend's face buried in her shoulder.

Korra's instincts managed to catch on faster than her conscious mind. She moved her arms up, wrapping them around Asami's back. As she returned her girlfriend's embrace, Korra said softly, "It's alright… I'm alright, Asami."

Korra could feel Asami's head nodding slowly. For a while, that was the only motion that Asami made, but eventually she pulled away. With an effort, Korra was able to focus her vision, revealing the sight of Asami's face, with streaks of makeup evident below reddened eyes.

It wasn't often Korra saw Asami vulnerable like this. In fact, was hardly ever. Korra was about to say something more, to assure Asami that she was indeed alright, but she stopped herself when Asami shook her head. "There's something I need you to do," Asami said. A moment of silence followed, while Asami breathed deeply. "I've done all I can… but only the Avatar has the power to seal Vaatu away."

"...Vaatu?" Korra blinked. She moved to the side, trying to see around Asami's head. They were outside the tree now, at the base of it. Vaatu didn't appear to be anywhere in sight, but it was impossible to see into the hollow from where they were. Perhaps he was still there. "What do you… where is he?" she said. Korra brought a hand up to Asami's shoulder, and she used it as leverage as she brought herself up to a seated position.

"In the tree hollow," Asami said. Ever so slowly, a smile managed to form on her lips. Finally, she spoke again. "We won. And I promise I'll explain everything soon."

Korra nodded slowly at Asami, and then pushed herself to her feat. "Yeah," she said. "I think there's a lot to explain. Starting with how you got your voice back." She looked down at Asami and cracked a half-grin at this. She knew Asami had had it in her to figure it out. "But that can wait. I'll handle Vaatu… and then you can do whatever you need to. There's no rush."

Asami nodded weakly. Her eyes fell closed, and she turned her head downward. After how much Asami had had to keep bottled up inside without her voice, it was really no wonder that she was letting all of her emotions out now. Korra reached her hand out and placed it on Asami's shoulder. "I love you, you know," she said. "And whatever you need, I'll be there for you."

Asami didn't say anything in reply. She didn't need to. She'd done enough.

* * *

It was quite a good thing Tenzin was already sitting down, as the disorientation and dizziness from returning to his body otherwise would have likely caused him to lose his balance. The entire process of his spirit being pulled across worlds had unwound in just a small fraction fraction of the time. He gave himself a moment before opening his eyes, making sure that his body and soul had regained their balance before he did so.

As ironic of a sentiment as it seemed when he was in this position, Tenzin was likely going to need to meditate on what had just happened. Unless this was all an illusion of some sort - which he could confirm later when he next had a chance to speak with Korra or Asami - the preceding events would be due quite a bit of consideration.

Perhaps right now wasn't the best time for that, however. Tenzin's mind seemed to be getting rather sluggish. Likely the combination of waking up in the middle of the night and then bending across worlds had drained his mental resources to the limit.

Tenzin allowed his eyes to finally open, and he gave them a moment to adjust to the dim light of the bedroom. With how much he'd just experienced, it was odd to find himself so suddenly back in the simplicity of the bedroom. This must have been how Korra and Jinora felt after coming back from meditation in the spirit world.

Although… not everything was quite the same. On the floor just off to his right, a cup of tea had been placed on a coaster. A glance back at the bed confirmed that Pema currently appeared to be asleep, but that simply made the gesture all the sweeter. Smiling at his wife, Tenzin reached down for the tea she'd left for him.

* * *

One by one, the little reminders of old age returned to Katara. Her back tightened up, her joints began to ache, and she was sure as soon as she opened her eyes, she would find her vision to be a fair bit more nearsighted than it had been just a minute ago. In a way, it was a disappointment. But really, this was just returning to normal. In return for her assistance, she'd had a chance to relive the energy and adventure of her youth for a few hours.

Of course, it would have been nice if she could have done so under circumstances that weren't quite as threatening to the world's safety. At least this time, she'd been able to help out and actually put her bending to good use. It had been far too long she'd been able to contribute with anything other than her healing.

It was just a shame that it had had to be her bloodbending which she relied upon. Controlling Korra - someone she loved like a granddaughter - like that went against every moral fiber in Katara's body. It hadn't been an easy decision. She'd gone back to all the debates she'd had over what defensive exceptions to allow for bloodbending, and she was sure it was an acceptable use this time.

It still didn't feel right. And even though it might well have ensured their victory, Katara still felt like she would have to apologize to Korra the next time they met.

But that was then. For now, Katara had earned herself a good night's sleep.

* * *

"What is it? What's the big deal here?" came a woman's voice from outside Kuvira's cell.

Kuvira opened her eyes, though her vision was quickly overwhelmed by the light from a pair of torches. She brought her hand up above her eyes, shielding them from the light as she gave her eyes a chance to adjust. There seemed to be a pair of guards outside her cell now, looking it. She couldn't see them well enough to make out who they were, nor was she familiar enough with their voices.

"There was… some sort of light around her," said one of the guards. A male voice this time. "And she looked like she was meditating or something."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow. They weren't likely to believe the full truth about what had just happened, but lying might get her into worse trouble than not being believed. Only the one guard had seen anything unusual, it seemed, and these were White Lotus guards, so they weren't particularly vindictive. If they weren't sure she was doing anything wrong, she probably wouldn't face much trouble from this.

"Meditating isn't against any of the rules, is it?" Kuvira said. She hadn't been meditating, of course, but she was simply asking a question, not claiming that that was what she'd been doing.

"No," the female guard said. Although she could only see the guard's silhouette, Kuvira was still able to make out her head shaking. "Of course not. Meditate all you like." The guard was silent for a minute, and then she continued, "Were you doing anything else, that might have caused some sort of light?"

Kuvira shook her head. "Whatever it was the other guard saw, I didn't do it," she said.

Another moment of silence, and then the female guard nodded. "Very well," she said. She turned to her fellow guard and said, "Keep a close eye on her, and let me know immediately if you see anything like this again. We can't risk letting any of her enemies attack her here."

"Yes, Ma'am," the male guard said, nodding at the female guard.

The female guard began to move away, but Kuvira spoke up first, "One thing," she said.

"Hmm?" the guard said, turning back to face Kuvira.

"Could I get some more paper? There are some letters I'd like to write tomorrow," Kuvira said. The idea had only now struck her, so she wasn't quite sure what she might end up saying. But after what had just happened, she did owe Asami Sato a letter of some sort.

"Of course," the guard said, nodding slightly at Kuvira. "I'll let the quartermaster know."

"Thank you," Kuvira said. As the guards headed off, she moved back to her bed and lay down. Perhaps with some sleep, she'd figure out what she wanted to say. It was hard to imagine that words alone would be sufficient, but it was a start, if nothing else.

* * *

"Miss? Are you alright? Miss? ...Hey, she's coming to!"

Ty Zen peeled her eyes open. She was lying down currently, with a man leaning down over her. Suddenly being pulled back to the physical world like this had left her feeling much like she'd just woken up from a dream, though with much clearer memories. Her mind traced over what had happened, and she suddenly sat up, nearly head-butting the man who was watching over her.

"My brother!" she said. "Did you… was there anyone else nearby?"

The man shook his head, pulling back from her a few inches. "You were the only one found unconscious. Plenty of other people saw whatever happened, but none of them recognized you."

"Right…" Ty Zen said. So, that meant Izin was probably still in the spirit world. Apparently giving him a ride back to where he'd been kidnapped from wasn't part of the deal that Asami had struck with that spirit. With the closest spirit portal in Republic City, that meant it was pretty much guaranteed he wouldn't be able to make his award ceremony on time. Great.

"How are you feeling?" the nearby man said, kneeling down next to her now. "Any dizziness, lightheadedness, or headache?"

"No, I'm fine," Ty Zen said, giving the man a reassuring smile. "It just feels like I was asleep for a bit."

The man made eye contact with Ty Zen for a moment, and then nodded. "Probably just a fainting spell, then. Given what happened, it's not too surprising. Nothing to worry about then, unless it happens frequently. Just be careful, and lie down flat if you feel lightheaded."

Ty Zen nodded. That wasn't at all what had happened, but it was a convenient explanation. "Alright, I gotcha. Thanks," she said.

As the man helped her to her feet, Ty Zen took a look around. She was still in the same coffee shop she'd been in when Izin had vanished, though the only other people here seemed to be a pair of police officers. They were hanging back, though it was pretty clear they were waiting for a chance to speak with Ty Zen.

There was no helping it. With a sigh, Ty Zen dealt with the police officers, giving them a statement on what she'd seen, including the fact that Izin had vanished in the clouds. Given that it would soon become public knowledge that he'd disappeared - at least temporarily - hiding that fact now would have just put her under suspicion. She didn't go into what had happened in the spirit world, though, as they'd probably just chalk that up to a dream of hers anyway.

The police officers didn't seem too concerned with Izin. One of them said that Ty Zen had probably just lost track of him in the chaos, and that she should file a missing person report if she couldn't make contact with him soon. After that, Ty Zen was finally cleared to go.

It was going to take some time for Ty Zen to sort through everything that happened, and she could only make a start at it as she walked home. Izin had been set up from birth to be a new Dark Avatar, and Ty Zen was unknowingly actually their father's eighth child. The plans for Izin had been thwarted, so he could go back to what he was already doing with his life. As for Ty Zen herself…

Ty Zen grinned. After looking around to make sure no one was around, she held her hand out in front of her, lighting a fire within it and superheating it. The flame turned blue after a few seconds, and a few seconds later, it began to glow a bright white. She didn't even know herself exactly what was happening with her fire at this temperature; she'd have to ask Izin about it later. And then she'd have to figure out just what she wanted to do with this power. So many options...

* * *

"So, any chance you can fill me in on exactly what happened?" Jinora asked as she and Izin set off toward the spirit portal. Of the things she'd expected to find when she meditated to check in on Korra and Asami, a new arrival from the physical world ranked pretty far down on her list. Korra and Asami had seemed reluctant to fill her in on exactly what had happened for some reason, but maybe this man would be able to fill her in while she escorted him back to the spirit portal.

"Well…" Izin said, grimacing a bit awkwardly. "Avatar Korra seemed pretty worried about people knowing about one of the things that happened here. She spent a while talking with Asami and all the people in her head to make sure none of them was likely to say anything, and even that didn't seem to satisfy her. So I, uh… well, I guess I can explain some things, but you'll have to talk with Avatar Korra if you want to know that part."

Jinora raised her eyebrow at this. Well, Korra must have had her reasons for that. "I see," she said. "So then, are you allowed to tell me what you meant by 'all the people in Asami's head'?"

Izin let out a laugh at this. "Ah, right. That would sound weird. Well, let's see… I think it had something to do with a powerful spirit's necklace. Asami used it to ask a bunch of people in the physical world for help saving Korra and me."

"Really?" Jinora said. "Hmm, I wonder if that's what she used to contact me… I'll guess I'll have to ask her about that later."

Izin was silent after this. Apparently he wasn't particularly eager to get into all that had happened. That was fine, then. Jinora had never seen this part of the spirit world anyway, so the walk alone was enjoyable. There didn't seem to be that many spirits around here, though. Or perhaps they were just good at hiding. Aunt Kya had told her about a spirit that looked just like a toadstool, which they'd encountered on their trip into the spirit world to rescue her. So perhaps some of the trees and plants around here were actually spirits in disguise.

After a while, Jinora broke the silence. "So, what do you plan to do once we get back to the physical world?" she said.

"Well, I guess I'll have to find a way to get back to the Fire Nation," Izin said. "Though at this point, I don't know if I'll be able to make it in time."

"In time?" Jinora said, turning to Izin. "For what?"

"Oh, um, an award ceremony," Izin said, his eyes noticeably avoiding Jinora's gaze as he spoke.

Jinora paused in her step, her mind flashing back to a newspaper article she'd read a few weeks ago, a profile on a physicist in the Fire Nation who'd supposedly revolutionized the whole field.. "Wait. Are you  _that_  Izin? The one who just won the Nuo Beier prize for physics?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me," Izin said, stopping in his step as well and giving Jinora an awkward smile.

Jinora's eyes widened. "Oh wow… So… it's the ceremony for the Nuo Beier prize you have to get to, right?"

"Yeah," Izin said, glancing down and to the side. "Ceremonies really aren't my thing, but it'll probably end up being even more trouble if I don't make it in time."

A smile crossed Jinora's face, and she shook her head. "Leave it to me… and Pepper. We'll get you there on time; I guarantee it."

Izin looked up, finally meeting Jinora's gaze. "...Pepper?" he said.

"My flying bison," Jinora said. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll love you." With a nod at Izin, Jinora turned back to the path and set off once again. "Now let's go; no time to waste!"

* * *

"Be patient, young one," came Varina's voice from behind Light. He turned his head away from the cave's opening, looking over at her as she spoke. "Avatar Korra and Asami Sato will most likely appreciate some time alone with each other after all that has happened. I assure you, though, they will return here soon enough."

Light turned back to the cave's exit, looking outside for a moment. "I guess you're probably right," he said.

He let himself drop down onto his belly, settling in for a bit of a wait. He'd barely had any chance to talk with Asami since she'd gotten her voice back, or with Korra since she'd been rescued. Varina was probably right though. They'd want to be with each other first. He could wait.

After a few minutes, Light turned his head to Varina once more. "Um, Varina?" he said. "After all this, Korra and Asami will probably want to go someplace peaceful for the rest of their vacation, right?"

Varina was silent for a moment. "Perhaps," she eventually said. "They both strike me as the type who would get bored easily, though."

Light's eyes brightened at this. "Right! But peaceful doesn't have to mean boring. I think I know just the place to take them."

"Do you?" Varina said. She hovered closer to Light, her motions accompanied by a musical echo from the instruments in the cave. "And where would that be?"

"Home," Light said simply. He turned back to the cave's opening, waiting eagerly to catch sight of Korra or Asami. He really hoped they'd go for his idea. His family would really love to meet them.

* * *

"Haa… ha…"

Korra panted, her muscles straining as she pushed the rock into place. It still wasn't enough. Through a day's worth of effort in the Avatar state, she'd managed to reshape the cliff surrounding the Tree of Eternity into a mushroom-shape, and now she was working on smoothing it out. If would be nearly impossible for anyone to climb.

But not quite impossible, and ten thousand years was a long time. And she still hadn't done anything to help against the possibility that someone might convince a spirit to fly them up to the tree. That didn't mean they'd be able to find a way to get through the barrier she'd set up containing Vaatu - after all, Unalaq had been helpless against Wan's barrier - but Korra didn't want to take any chances.

That didn't mean her body agreed with her right now, though. As she struggled to smooth out the distant rock on the shelf of rock high above her, her strength finally gave out. The level of light in the world seemed to drop as Korra fell out of the Avatar state, unable to maintain it a moment longer. She let out a grunt, crouching down and resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

A moment later, Korra felt a hand rest gently on her back, just between her shoulderblades. "I think that's probably good enough, Korra," Asami said. "Wan's seal held Vaatu for ten thousand years. I'm sure yours can do the same, even if the spirit portals are open now."

Korra shook her head. "I need to be sure. I've had enough of Vaatu. The world's had enough of him."

Asami's hand began moving, slowly stroking up and down Korra's back. "I know. I have too. But the more you try to make the tree inaccessible, the more tempting you make it." As Asami stopped talking, Korra let out a sigh. She pushed herself back up and looked over at her love. When Korra's eyes met with Asami's, Asami continued, "We don't have to solve every problem today, Korra. We can't. We just have to take them on as they show up. I think we've done all we can for now."

Slowly, a smile spread across Korra's face. She gave Asami an affectionate look and said, "You really always know just what to say, Asami. I don't know how I ever managed to go without hearing your voice for so long."

Asami's gaze met Korra's, mirroring her affection back at her. Without saying a word, Asami slowly leaned forward. Quickly realizing what was happening, Korra froze in place, gulping down her nerves as Asami's lips neared hers. A rush of warmth flooded Korra's chest just as their lips made contact, and she eagerly reached her arms up and wrapped her hands around the back of Asami's neck.

Korra could feel Asami's hands placed gently on her sides, just as Asami's lips began to slowly to move against hers. Asami's lips were so tender and loving; it was a struggle simply to remain standing and not melt from it all. Although… Asami's hands were holding her up, so perhaps a little melting would be safe.

By the time Asami finally pulled back, Korra found herself thoroughly dazed from the kiss. Korra slowly managed to focus her vision, Asami's beautiful face coming into view. "Um…" she said. "What were we talking about again?"

Letting out a chuckle and grinning that gorgeous grin of hers, Asami winked at Korra. She spun on her heel, heading off down the path back toward Varina's cave without a word.

"Wha- hey!" Korra said, dashing after Asami. "No fair with the silent act! I've had enough of that the last few days, now say something!"

Just as Korra caught up to Asami, Asami's hand shot out, grabbing Korra's wrist. Asami swung Korra around in front of her and caught her other wrist. She adjusted her grip, entwining her hands with Korra's and pulling them upward. Asami leaned down, placing a quick kiss on Korra's fingers. And just when Korra thought that Asami was going to keep up the silent act, Asami looked back up, caught Korra's gaze, and said simply, "I love you, Korra."


End file.
